The Supreme Court has issued a show-cause order regarding the appointment of immediate past Governor Mahaprasad Adhikari to the Governor Recommendation Committee of Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB). The order was issued by a single bench of Justice Binod Sharma during a hearing on a writ petition challenging Adhikari's appointment as contrary to the Nepal Rastra Bank Act.
The petition, filed on May 11, 2025, by advocate Nabin Dhital, seeks to annul the appointment, asserting that the inclusion of Adhikari, the outgoing Governor, in the recommendation committee is illegal. The court has instructed both parties to appear for a discussion on whether to issue an interim order.
The government had formed the Governor Recommendation Committee under the coordination of Finance Minister Bishnu Poudel on March 24, 2025, with former Governor Bijay Nath Bhattarai and expert Dr. Bishwa Poudel as members. However, Bhattarai resigned on April 22, 2025, citing the committee's failure to convene for a meeting even after nearly a month.
Following Bhattarai's resignation, Adhikari was appointed to the committee. However, the appointment has sparked controversy, and expert member Dr. Poudel also resigned from the committee on Sunday amid growing concerns over political interference. The Nepali Congress had reportedly proposed Dr. Poudel as a candidate for the governor's position.
In a related development, advocates Pratibha Upreti and Bishal Thapa filed a writ petition against Dr. Poudel's potential appointment as governor, arguing that appointing a member of a political party to the position violates the provisions of the Nepal Rastra Bank Act. However, the petition has yet to be registered by the court.
According to the law, individuals affiliated with political parties are ineligible for the position of governor. Dr. Poudel, who was a candidate for the Nepali Congress in the 2024 House of Representatives election in Chitwan-1, was defeated by Rastriya Swatantra Party's Hari Dhakal, leading to claims of his ineligibility.
The government has yet to appoint a new member to the Governor Recommendation Committee following Dr. Poudel's resignation. While the Nepal Rastra Bank Act mandates the appointment of a governor at least one month before a vacancy arises, the government has not yet made a new appointment, despite the vacancy now exceeding one month.
Earlier, the Nepali Congress had sought the resignation of Dr. Gunakar Bhatta, the executive director of NRB, assuring of appointing him as the new governor. Additionally, Dr. Prakash Kumar Shrestha, another executive director of NRB, and Gyanendra Dhungana, CEO of Nabil Bank, have both resigned in hopes of being appointed to the governor's position.
