Kathmandu, April 22 -- Judicial independence and competency majorly depend on institutional independence too, which is basically secured through an appropriate appointment mechanism of judges and the quality of judgements delivered by competent judges. A successful judiciary is one whose members are appointed through a rigorous process that assesses the candidates' legal qualifications and reliability. The Judicial Council consists of a committee that recommends names for appointment as judges and conducts other administrative tasks.

The criteria for the appointment of judges as given in the constitution and the Judicial Council Act, 2016 seem like good initiatives, but they are found to be vague and inadequate. And the incorporated prov...