Nepal, Oct. 30 -- Reports of WhatsApp exchanges between Inam Sapkota and Supreme Court Justice Hari Phuyal have raised serious questions about the circumstances and nature of their communications.

Phuyal has since denied wrongdoing, explained the circumstances that led to his contact with Sapkota, and said that he and other judges eventually reported their concerns to the authorities.

The issue is not whether Phuyal should be presumed guilty. It is whether the circumstances, including those described in his own account, raise legitimate questions about judicial independence, propriety and accountability that warrant further scrutiny.

Here are five questions that remain unanswered.

1. Why did he engage with someone whose claim to repre...