Kathmandu, Sept. 30 -- When Manoj Kumar Sharma, the fourth-ranking judge in the Supreme Court, was appointed chief justice in May this year, the decision drew flak from judicial and political circles, with some senior justices not even mincing words in criticising the move.

Though Sharma's appointment was not unconstitutional in itself, it marked a departure from a long-standing tradition-a practice never broken before, as it was believed to ensure predictability and equilibrium.

In the last four and a half months, however, there were no visible signs of concern from inside the judiciary. But in the wee hours of Sunday, police, acting on government orders, picked up former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana from his home. The Kathman...