Nepal, July 3 -- With incumbent Chief Secretary Suman Raj Aryal set to retire next week, speculation has intensified within the civil service over who will become the country's next top bureaucrat.

Aryal will remain in office until July 9, after which he will retire upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 58. He was appointed chief secretary on November 24, 2025, and will have served in the position for about eight months.

Under Nepal's Civil Service Act, secretaries retire either after completing a five-year tenure in the position or upon reaching the age of 58, whichever comes first.

If the government follows the seniority principle, Kiran Sharma, currently a secretary at the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministe...