Supreme Court Justice Fuyal takes leave amid middleman controversy

Supreme Court Justice Hari Fuyal has taken leave from his duties, effective Tuesday, amid a controversy linking him to alleged middleman Inam Sapkota. According to Ashok Kumar Chhetri, spokesperson for the Supreme Court, Justice Fuyal will be on leave until Kartik 20 (BS). Other sources indicate that Justice Fuyal has taken leave until Kartik 30 (BS) and will only return to court after the Tihar holidays. Questions arose after reports surfaced of Justice Fuyal meeting Sapkota at Hotel Himalaya, following Sapkota’s arrest on charges of attempting to ‘set’ cases with high-ranking officials.Justice Fuyal acknowledged meeting Sapkota but clarified that no pending cases were influenced by their encounter. The Supreme Court’s full court has called for an impartial investigation into the publicised allegations, reiterating its commitment to the supremacy of the constitution and the rule of law.The Nepal Bar Association has formed a committee to gather facts regarding Supreme Court justices linked to Sapkota. The committee is led by senior advocate Chandeshwar Shrestha and includes senior advocates Purnaman Shakya, Usha Malla Pathak, Surendra Kumar Mahato, and Chandra Prasad Banjara.The names of Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Sharma, Justice Hari Prasad Fuyal, and Justice Shrikant Paudel have been associated with the Inam Sapkota case, raising concerns about the judiciary’s integrity. The full court has urged relevant bodies to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.Several questions remain unanswered regarding the controversy. It is unclear how Sapkota’s claim of being a ‘representative of the Prime Minister’ was verified. Furthermore, the reasons and methods for continued contact between Sapkota and Justice Fuyal, even after a pending case was discussed, have not been publicly clarified. The specific details of their discussion at the Hotel Himalaya meeting are also unknown.