Months after mass removals, hundreds of key public posts remain vacant

Kathmandu, August 25

The government removed 1,594 office-bearers from various boards, committees and public institutions in April, but only around 200 key public posts have been filled so far.

The positions were vacated after the government introduced the Special Provision Ordinance on the Removal of Public Office Bearers, 2026.

The prolonged vacancies have affected the functioning of various state bodies. Work at some commissions has come to a standstill, while institutions with vacant registrar positions have been left without budgets, policies and programmes.

Some appointments have also failed to meet the inclusive representation requirements prescribed by the Constitution and other prevailing laws.

Although the ordinance was introduced with the stated aim of ending political appointments and making public institutions free from political interference, the ruling Rastriya Swatantra Party (RSP) has faced allegations of appointing its own party workers to some of the key public posts.

Some appointments have also been overturned by courts over eligibility and procedural issues.

On August 20, the Supreme Court scrapped the appointment of Maheshwar Bhakta Shrestha as executive chairperson of Nepal Airlines Corporation. The court ruled that the decision to appoint a person who had exceeded the prescribed age limit was prima facie unlawful.

Candidates for appointment as executive chairperson are required to meet various qualifications, including being no older than 65.

A joint bench of Justices Sunil Kumar Pokharel and Balkrishna Dhakal overturned the Cabinet’s July 14 decision to appoint Shrestha as executive chairperson with responsibility for the duties of general manager, stating that the appointment did not comply with the relevant legal provision.

This is not the first appointment made under the government led by RSP senior leader Balen Shah to be overturned by the court.

Earlier, the Supreme Court also annulled the appointment of Dr Deepak Prasad Bastola as a member of the Nepal Airlines Corporation board.

On June 12, the court scrapped the decision to appoint Bastola, citing problems with his eligibility and the appointment process. The Minister for Culture and Tourism had appointed Bastola and four others to the corporation’s board on May 14.

Upendra Bahadur Karki had filed a petition challenging the appointment, arguing that the government had disregarded the selection committee’s recommendation, which had ranked him first. The court observed that the minister had made a baseless “pick and choose” decision.

The government has so far filled 198 of the positions that became vacant following the ordinance.

Where and who has been appointed?

Among the appointments made so far are:

Institution	Appointment
Landless Squatters’ Problem Resolution Committee (former commission)	Chair: Balbhadra Bastola; Members: Amir Prasad Neupane, Padmanidhi Soti and Rehana Shrestha
Problematic Cooperative Management Committee	Chair: Dilliraj Acharya; Members: Navaraj Sinkhada, Roshan Bahadur Shakya and Khet Raj Dahal
National Planning Commission	Vice-chair: Gunakar Bhatta; Members: Arjun Jung Thapa, Sanjay Acharya, Devendra Gauchan, Reshu Aryal, Sudan Jha and Pukar Malla
Bagmati Civilization Integrated Development Committee	Chair: Anand Singh Bhat
Civil Aviation Authority of Nepal	Director General: Mukesh Dangol
Security Printing Centre	Executive Director: Devraj Dhungana
Public Service Broadcasting Institution	Members: Urvashi Basnyat and Shobhita Rijal
Council for Technical Education and Vocational Training (CTEVT)	Members: Dr Amrita Sharma, Birendra Raj Pandey, Dr Dipeshwar Man Shrestha and Pramila Rana
Nepal Red Cross Society	Ad hoc committee chair: Bishal Kumar Bhandari
Accounting Standards Board	Chair: Ramesh Kumar Dhital
Securities Board of Nepal	Chair: Gopal Prasad Bhatta
Public Procurement Review Committee	Chair: Sushil Chandra Tiwari; Members: Mahesh Aryal and Thaneshwar Gautam
Special Structures Operation and Management Development Committee	Executive Director: Dharmaraj Khadka
Gorkhapatra Corporation	General Manager: Hikmat Bahadur Rawal
Kathmandu Valley Development Authority	Commissioner: Suraj Shakya
Nepal Telecommunications Authority	Chair: Arjun Ghimire; Members: Gopal Pradhan, Ananta Mallik, Nilam Kumar Ojha and Sujita Shrestha
Press Council Nepal	Chair: Umesh Shrestha; Members: Prakash Mathema, Namrata Sharma, Ravi Raj Baral and Upasana Ghimire
Nepal Electricity Regulatory Commission	Chair: Ram Prasad Dhital; Members: Jayaraj Bhandari, Lok Raj Pathak and Balram Silwal
National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority	Executive Chief: Dharmaraj Upreti
Guthi Corporation	Administrator: Shailesh Raj Kunwar
University Grants Commission	Chair: Khadga Bahadur KC; Secretary: Rojie Shrestha; Member: Reshu Aryal Dhungana
Investment Board Nepal	Chief Executive Officer: Yanki Ukyab
Nepal Oil Corporation	Executive Director: Nagendra Shah
Foreign Employment Board	Executive Director: Nirmal Kumar Upreti
Tribhuvan University	Vice-chancellor: Bhola Thapa
TU Service Commission	Chair: Kishor Thapa; Member: Regina Maskey
Citizen Investment Trust	Executive Director: Parbat Kumar Karki
National Tea and Coffee Development Board	Vice-chair: Aditya Parajuli
Pashupati Area Development Trust	Member secretary: Tirtha Shrestha; Treasurer: Gangasagar Baniya; Members: Kedarman Bhandari, Rupa Shahi Bastola, Ram Shobhit Nayak and Sangita Kumari Ram
Nepal Academy of Science and Technology (NAST)	Vice-chancellor: Prof Dr Janardan Lamichhane
Nepal Scouts	Chief Commissioner: Santosh Kumar Thapa
Nepal Engineering Council	Registrar: Dhurba Raj Bhattarai
Shaheed Dashrath Chand University of Health Sciences	Vice-chancellor: Prof Dr Sunil Kumar Joshi; Registrar: Dr Bhim Bahadur Chand
Nepal Sanskrit University	Vice-chancellor: Bhim Prasad Khatiwada
Mid-Western University	Vice-chancellor: Rajan Suwal
Purbanchal University	Vice-chancellor: Sujan Babu Marhatta
Far Western University	Vice-chancellor: Kisan Datt Bhatt
Pokhara University	Vice-chancellor: Devendra Adhikari
Rajarshi Janak University	Vice-chancellor: Shyam Narayan Labh
Agriculture and Forestry University	Vice-chancellor: Rishiram Kattel
Kathmandu University	Vice-chancellor: Bivek Baral
Medical Education Commission	Vice-chair: Dr Devendra Khatri
Nepal Health Research Council	Chair: Dr Sudha Basnet; Vice-chair: Dr Narayan Bahadur Mahotra; Members: Ganesh Dangal, Santosh Kumar Thakur, Satish Kumar Dev, Dharmagat Bhattarai and Raba Thapa
Nepal Nursing Council	Chair: Sakuntala Prajapati; Vice-chair: Bimala Kumari Sah; Registrar: Parbati Bista
Nepal Health Professional Council	Chair: Sagun Poudel; Registrar: Ramesh Shrestha
Shahid Gangalal National Heart Centre	Director: Ashish Govind Amatya
Nepal Pharmacy Council	Chair: Kadir Alam; Registrar: Dr Harish Singh Thapa
Health Insurance Board	Chair: Subas Pyakurel
Nepal Medical Council	Chair: Dr Dhundhiraj Poudel; Registrar: Dr Suprabhat Shrestha
National Academy of Medical Sciences (Bir Hospital)	Vice-chancellor: Dr Bivek Acharya
Patan Academy of Health Sciences	Vice-chancellor: Dr Nabisman Singh Pradhan
B.P. Koirala Institute of Health Sciences	Vice-chancellor: Dr Smriti Karki
Pokhara Academy of Health Sciences	Vice-chancellor: Dr Narayan Singh Gurung
Karnali Academy of Health Sciences	Vice-chancellor: Dr Suryaman Myahangambo
Rapti Academy of Health Sciences	Vice-chancellor: Dr Ajay Kumar Mishra
Nepal Academy	Chancellor: Kumar Nagarkoti; Vice-chancellor: Avinash Shrestha; Member secretary: Roshan Sherchan; Members: Pratisara Manandhar, Dr Krishna Raj Chaudhary, Sita Subba, Tirtha Bahadur Gurung, Rupa Kumari, Navin Nepali, Deepak Sapkota and Durgabahadur Gharti
Nepal Academy of Fine Arts	Chancellor: Erina Tamrakar; Vice-chancellor: Chandrasyam Dangol; Member secretary: Kailash Kumar Shrestha; Members: Jupiter Pradhan, Kubir Dewan, Sangi Shrestha, Dhurba Raj Sharma and Om Prakash Yadav
Nepal Academy of Music and Drama	Chancellor: Brajesh Khanal; Vice-chancellor: Jhuma Banem; Member secretary: Bhupendra Singh Rayamajhi; Members: Chhendok Hang Rai, Jeet Bahadur Deuja, Subima Shrestha, Saraswati Chaudhary, Rajan Mukarung and Rekha Shah Gurung
National Sports Council	Vice-chair: Bishal Shrestha; Members: Monalisa Khambu, Sikka Suwal Shrestha, Shaktiprasad Gauchan, Pawan Shahi, Lalita Nath and Dhaniram Chaudhary

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