Judge Phuyal admits contact with Inam Sapkota, full court meeting called for Friday

Supreme Court Justice Hari Prasad Phuyal has admitted he was in contact with alleged middleman Inam Sapkota. He said Sapkota had introduced himself as a special representative of Prime Minister Balen Shah.

Appearing before reporters on Thursday, Justice Phuyal claimed he had not arranged any "setting" or influenced any case. According to Online Khabar, he said Inam had assured a group of 5-7 judges that there was no risk of impeachment. In his statement, he said he had done nothing to damage the judiciary's reputation, and requested that the facts and news about him not be viewed in isolation from the instability and insecurity facing the country and the judicial sphere.

Meanwhile, Chief Justice Dr Manoj Kumar Sharma has called a full court meeting for Friday morning. The meeting's agenda lists only "discussion on contemporary matters." The notice for the meeting was issued after the Chief Justice held discussions on Thursday with some judges and senior officials of the judicial administration.

Sapkota had earlier been arrested as a middleman over his links with former Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Jabara.