Kathmandu, April 1 The most senior judge of the Supreme Court, Sapana Malla, took over as the acting Chief Justice of Nepal on Wednesday.
Malla, 62, assumed the top judicial position following the retirement of Chief Justice Prakash Man Singh Raut on Tuesday, when he reached the retirement age of 65.
Raut was appointed to the position on October 6, 2024, after serving eight years as a Supreme Court Justice.
The leadership of the apex court automatically went to Malla as the most senior judge. She holds a Master of Laws (LLM) degree from the University of Delhi.
She is the second woman to assume leadership of the judiciary after Sushila Karki, who later headed the caretaker government and became the first female interim prime minister of Nepal.
Article 284(3) of Nepal's Constitution requires the Constitutional Council to recommend a new chief justice at least one month before the incumbent's retirement.
However, the recommendation process was stalled due to the dissolution of the House of Representatives (HoR) on September 12, 2025.
President Ram Chandra Paudel had dissolved the HoR on Karki's recommendation after the Gen Z protests, which led to the resignation of then-prime minister K P Sharma Oli.
The Constitutional Council has been unable to convene since then.
It consists of six members -- Prime Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker of the House of Representatives, chair of the National Assembly, Leader of the main Opposition and Deputy Speaker.
With key positions such as Speaker, Deputy Speaker and Leader of the Opposition remaining vacant, the Council has not been able to move forward with the nomination process for the Chief Justice.