Former Nepal Chief Justice Sushila Karki has been appointed interim Prime Minister.
Karki will be sworn in on Friday, September 12, at 9:15 p.m., making history as the country’s first woman to hold the office.
The announcement came from the office of President Ramchandra Paudel’s office following negotiations with Army Chief Ashok Raj Sigdel and Gen-Z protesters who led the nation’s worst unrest in decades.
Karki, 73, was the protesters’ preferred choice due to her reputation for honesty, integrity, and a strong stance against corruption.
Former Nepal Chief Justice Sushila Karki Appointed Interim Prime Minister
“We have proposed Sushila Karki as head of the new government. The same proposal is being formalised today after consulting with the Army Chief,” Gen Z leader Rakshya Bam was quoted.
Karki, the only woman ever to have served as Nepal’s chief justice, held the position from 2016 to mid-2017.
Her time on the bench was defined by a policy of zero tolerance towards corruption, a stance that earned her both admiration and opposition.
Her appointment follows days of violent anti-graft demonstrations that forced Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli to resign.
At least 51 Killed in Nepal Protests
The protests, triggered by a controversial social media ban, have killed at least 51 people, injured more than 1,300, and led to the escape of over 12,500 prisoners.
Police spokesperson Binod Ghimire said those killed include 21 protesters, nine prisoners, three police officers, and 18 others.
He added that about 13,500 inmates had initially escaped from jails nationwide, with 12,533 still at large.
Many are suspected to be attempting to cross into India, where some have already been captured.
Also Read: Blow to Ruto as Court Rules on Compensation Panel for Protest Victim
The unrest peaked on Tuesday, September 9, when demonstrators defied an indefinite curfew and tried to storm parliament in Kathmandu.
Security forces responded with tear gas and rubber bullets, marking some of the deadliest clashes since the monarchy was abolished in 2008.
Oli, who had earlier appealed for dialogue over confrontation, stepped down a day later under mounting pressure.
His resignation followed that of Home Minister Ramesh Lekhak, who quit after the government’s widely criticized September 4 decision to ban 26 social media platforms.
The ban was lifted on September 8 after the protests turned violent.
Also Read: Nepal Prime Minister K.P. Sharma Oli Resigns After Gen Z Protests
Sushila Karki Career and Education
Sushila’s rise in the judiciary began in 2009 when she was appointed a temporary judge at Nepal’s Supreme Court.
A year later, she was confirmed as a permanent judge, and by July 2016, she had risen to the top post of chief justice.
In April 2017, lawmakers from the then-ruling Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Centre) filed an impeachment motion against her, accusing her of bias in a ruling that disqualified the head of the powerful anti-corruption watchdog.
The move led to her immediate suspension. But the attempt quickly backfired. Public protests broke out in defence of judicial independence, and Nepal’s Supreme Court stepped in to halt the proceedings.
Within weeks, the impeachment motion was withdrawn, allowing Karki to resume her duties before retiring a month later, in June 2017.
Sushila Karki earned her master’s degree in political science from the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Varanasi in 1975. She got her Bachelor’s degree in Law from Kathmandu’s Tribhuvan University in 1978.
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