Kathmandu: The Parliamentary Hearing Committee of Nepal's Federal Parliament on Saturday endorsed the recommendation of four judges for appointment as justices of the Supreme Court, Radio Nepal reported.

Source: Radio Nepal

The nominees endorsed are Dr Ratna Bahadur Bagchand, Chief Judge of the High Court in Pokhara; Chandra Bahadur Saru, a judge of the High Court in Patan; Janak Pandey, a judge of the Patan High Court's Hetauda Bench; and Gokarna Dangi, a judge of the Janakpur High Court's Birgunj Bench, NTV World reported in a matching account of the committee's meeting.

Source: NTV World

The Judicial Council had proposed the four names for the Supreme Court on October 6. The committee's hearings on the nominees began on November 5, and according to committee president Bodh Narayan Shrestha, a total of 13 complaints were received against the proposed judges during the process. The contents of the complaints have not been made public in the reports, and the endorsement means the committee cleared the nominees after considering them.

Under Nepal's constitution, the President appoints Supreme Court judges after the Parliamentary Hearing Committee endorses the Judicial Council's recommendations. President Ramchandra Paudel is now expected to make the formal appointments, completing a process that has been under way since early October.