Nepal, May 8 -- The Constitutional Council (CC) has recommended Supreme Court (SC) Justice Dr. Manoj Kumar Sharma for appointment as the next Chief Justice (CJ) of Nepal, in a move that departs from established seniority norms and has triggered debate within legal and political circles.

A meeting of the CC held on Thursday decided by majority vote to forward Sharma's name for parliamentary hearing and subsequent approval. If endorsed by the Parliamentary Hearings Committee and appointed by the President, he will become the 33rd Chief Justice of Nepal.

The recommendation has drawn attention because Justice Sharma currently ranks fourth in the SC's seniority order. His nomination marks the first known instance in Nepal's judicial history...