KATHMANDU: Four newly appointed justices of Nepal's Supreme Court assumed office on Friday after taking the oath of office and secrecy at the President's Office, Shitalniwas, in Kathmandu.

Source: Radio Nepal

Chief Justice Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma administered the oath to the four justices in the presence of President Ramchandra Paudel, Radio Nepal reported.

Earlier in the day, President Paudel had appointed the four judges to the Supreme Court in accordance with Article 129(2) of the Constitution of Nepal, on the recommendation of the Judicial Council, the Office of the President stated.

Source: NTV World

Who the four new justices are

Dr Ratna Bahadur Bagchand was the Chief Judge of the High Court Pokhara. Chandra Bahadur Saru and Janak Pandey were judges at the High Court Patan's Hetauda Bench, and Gokarna Dangi was the Chief Judge of the High Court Janakpur's temporary bench at Birgunj, according to the President's Office.

Before the presidential appointments, the four nominees had been endorsed by the Parliamentary Hearing Committee. The Judicial Council had first proposed the four as Supreme Court judges on October 6, hearings on the nominees began on November 5, and the hearing committee endorsed them on November 7.

The appointments complete the final constitutional stage of a selection process that had been under way for more than a month, and the four justices begin work at the apex court immediately after assuming office on Friday.