Supreme Court full bench meets over misconduct claims; RSP eyes impeachment

Nepal’s Supreme Court is holding a full bench meeting today to discuss allegations of misconduct and bribery involving judges and middlemen. The Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has indicated it may pursue impeachment against implicated judges.Chief Justice Manoj Kumar Sharma convened the full bench, which includes all Supreme Court justices, to deliberate on the recent controversy surrounding the judiciary. An earlier full bench meeting on Friday concluded without a decision.The controversy began with the public disclosure of alleged connections and bribery between Supreme Court justices and a middleman identified as Inam Sapkota. Sapkota, currently in police custody, reportedly named Supreme Court Justice Saranga Subedi during his police statement, linking her to the middleman. Today, Chief Justice Sharma and Justice Subedi do not have benches assigned.Justice Hari Phuyal is also embroiled in serious controversy due to alleged meetings and message exchanges with Sapkota. Justice Phuyal has admitted to meeting Sapkota at the Himalaya Hotel, stating that the meeting occurred after Sapkota repeatedly messaged him, invoking the name of Prime Minister Balendra Shah. However, Justice Phuyal and other judicial officials have denied allegations of contact and association with Sapkota.The controversy deepened with the public release of a document, purportedly from a police digital forensic examination, which reportedly mentions Chief Justice Sharma’s name and details regarding funds deposited in the United States. Chief Justice Sharma issued a statement last Thursday, denying any meeting with Sapkota or receiving any bribe money.Despite the allegations, Justice Phuyal has been assigned a bench today for two ongoing cases. Previously, the Constitutional Bench could not convene last Wednesday and Thursday, leading to the postponement of all scheduled hearings.The Rastriya Swatantra Party’s secretariat meeting, held on Saturday, October 31, 2026, concluded that it would pursue parliamentary action regarding the irregularities and controversies involving various justices. The party has indicated that it may consider options such as investigation and impeachment against the justices implicated in the controversy.The RSP has specifically concluded that only Justice Phuyal should face impeachment, remaining silent on Chief Justice Sharma. The party clarified that no final decision has been made regarding the impeachment of justices, but stated that the process and outcome would be determined once parliamentary procedures commence.Former Member of Parliament and CPN (UML) leader Surya Thapa claimed that Inam Sapkota was deployed for a survey in Prime Minister Balendra Shah’s constituency, Jhapa-5. However, no evidence has been publicly released to substantiate Thapa’s claim, and there has been no response from Prime Minister Shah or his secretariat on the matter.The agenda for the ongoing full bench meeting of the Supreme Court is listed as ‘discussion on contemporary issues.’ It is anticipated that today’s meeting will discuss the justice-middleman relationship and make decisions regarding investigations and other related matters.The Nepal Bar Association has also called an emergency meeting of its advisors and former officials for this afternoon, November 2, 2026. The RSP has decided to instruct its parliamentary party to initiate parliamentary procedures, emphasizing the need for structural reforms to address the irregularities and inconsistencies within the judiciary.For earlier coverage on this issue, please refer to our story: Inam Sapkota case: Questions raised against Chief Justice Sharma and Justice Phuyal, full bench to meet again on Monday.