Kathmandu, May 19 -- Nepal's Supreme Court witnessed high drama on Monday after acting Chief Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla ordered the court administration to register a writ petition challenging the recommendation of Justice Manoj Kumar Sharma as the next chief justice, but officials failed to comply with her directive.

The dispute centres on the Constitutional Council's decision to recommend Sharma, who is fourth in seniority among Supreme Court justices. The recommendation departed from the long-established practice of appointing the senior-most judge for the country's top judicial position.

On May 8, the Supreme Court administration had refused to register the writ petition challenging the recommendation made the previous day. After ...