September 12, 2025 | 04:38 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Sushila Karki, former Chief Justice, has been put forward by Nepal youth as a probable face to lead the country's interim government. She is a well-known jurist famous for her firm and anti-corruption stance.
As reported by Deccan Herald and India Express on Thursday, despite lacking political and executive experience, it is her reputation for anti-corruption that led Gen Z protesters in Nepal to put her name forward as interim prime minister.
She served as the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal from July 2016 to June 2017, making her the first female judge to lead the highest judiciary institution in the country's history. She started her career as a lawyer in 1979, in Biratnagar, and since then her decisions have been lauded by the young population of Nepal.
Profile of Sushila Karki
Karki was born on June 7, 1952, and is the eldest sister of seven siblings.
Karki obtained a Bachelor of Laws (BA) in 1972 from Mahendra Morang Campus and a Master of Political Science (MA) in 1975 from Banaras Hindu University.
Karki also earned a law degree from Tribhuvan University in 1978, and then kicked off her legal career in 1979.
During this period, she married Durga Subedi, her former tutor. She later referred to Subedi as the "most dependable friend and guide in crisis and all seasons."
Subedi, a leader of the Nepali Congress, was among four people who hijacked a Nepal Airlines plane in June 1973. The plane was carrying 40 lakh from Biratnagar to the Central Bank in Kathmandu, forcing it to land in Forbesganj in the Purnea district, Bihar.
The money was handed over to G P Koirala, who was waiting there to purchase weapons for the Nepal Congress' armed struggle for democracy.
Legal Career
Karki became a senior advocate in 2007, and an ad-hoc judge at Supreme Court two years later. She was appointed a permanent judge at the institution in 2010, before being tapped as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.
Since becoming Chief Justice on July 11, 2016, Karki has handled several high-profile anti-corruption cases.
During her tenure, Jaiprakash Prasad Gupta, the then-Minister of Information and Communication, was convicted in a corruption case.
Karki also handed down a heavy sentence to Lokman Singh Karki, the former Chief of the Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority in Nepal.
In 2017, she was suspended temporarily after members of parliament from the CPN (Maoist Centre) and the Nepal Congress accused her of rendering biased judgments, after they filed an impeachment motion against her.
The motion was later withdrawn due to public pressure and a temporary order from the Supreme Court preventing the impeachment process in Parliament.
Some important cases she has handled include Prithivi Bahadur Pandey v. Kathmandu District Court, which dealt with the printing of polymer banknotes in Australia, and Om Bhakta Rana v. CIAA/Government of Nepal, which dealt with corruption during Nepal's peacekeeping mission.
She has also published two books, Kara (a book set in Biratnagar Jail, where she spent some time as a prisoner, exploring the oppression and difficulties faced by women in Nepal) and Nyaya (an autobiography).
In a virtual dialogue on Wednesday, Karki said she had received a request to serve as the interim Prime Minister of Nepal. In an interview with CNN-News18, she confirmed that "boys and girls," as she referred to Gen Z, had voted for her, as she had been observing Nepal's governance for years.
"There have always been problems in Nepal from the past. The situation is very tough now," she said. Amid protests and curfews, the world continues to watch at the crossroads of this country.
"We will work together for the development of Nepal," she added hopefully. "We will try to establish a new beginning for the country."
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