Kathmandu, July 24 -- International rights organisations have expressed concern over what they describe as growing political interference in Nepal's judiciary, warning that recent government actions could undermine the independence of the courts and weaken the rule of law.

In a joint statement, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) stated that changes made to the Constitutional Council Act through an executive ordinance, along with reported pressure on senior Supreme Court justices, posed a serious threat to judicial independence.

The groups said the government's decision in May to amend the Constitutional Council Act through an ordinance, rather than through parliamentary legislati...