Being considered as one of the main leaders for the country’s new government by Nepal’s Gen-Z groups that overthrew the government, former judge Sushila Karki, 73, on Wednesday spoke fondly of India, and hoped for a good relationship.
Sushila Karki takes Oath as Nepal’s first woman PM
Who is Sushila Karki?
Karki began her legal career in 1979 as an advocate in Biratnagar and steadily rose through the ranks, becoming a Supreme Court justice in 2009. In 2016, she made history as Nepal’s first female Chief Justice, a milestone that coincided with women holding the country’s top three posts: president, speaker of parliament, and chief justice, and now the prime minister.
She earned recognition for her uncompromising stance against corruption, most notably ordering the conviction and imprisonment of sitting minister Jaya Prakash Gupta on corruption charges.
Karki holds a Master’s degree in political science from Banaras Hindu University in Varanasi, completed in 1975, and a Bachelor’s degree in law from Tribhuvan University, Nepal, obtained in 1978. She once spoke fondly of her time at Tribhuvan, where she not only studied law but also pursued her love for dance, a passion she cherished before fully embracing her legal career.
In 2017, she faced an impeachment motion brought by the ruling coalition, which accused her of bias and exceeding her authority in matters such as the appointment of a police chief. Despite these political challenges, she retained her reputation as an independent and reform-minded judge.
Security stepped in Kathmandu
Security has also been tightened at Sushila Karki’s residence. In addition, the army has already set up a security cordon at Singha Durbar, where the Ministry of Home Affairs building will house Karki’s official office. The speaker of the parliament and the chairperson of the national assembly have also been called for the swearing-in ceremony.
Sushila Karki was chosen by the GenZ protesters to take charge of the interim government in Nepal. She was the first and only woman chief justice of Nepal and has now become the country’s first woman prime minister also.
Karki, an alumna of Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in India,
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“I greet Modi ji. I have a good impression about Modi ji,” she said in response to a question about her expectations from PM Narendra Modi, during an interview with News18. “We have not been in touch with India today… for many days,” Karki, the only woman to have been chief justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal, said..
“We will talk about it. When it is an international matter, between two countries, some people sit together and make a policy,” she added.
She also said government-to-government relations “is a different matter”: “But there is such a good relationship between the people of Nepal and the people of India. It is a very good relationship. Many, many of our relatives, many of our acquaintances… We have so much goodwill, love.”
She said she was generally “very much impressed” with Indian leaders. “We consider them as our own brothers and sisters.”
She recalled her days at the Banaras Hindu University, where she did her master’s degree. “I still remember my teachers, friends. I still remember the river Ganga. Beside the Ganga, there was a hostel. And at night in the summer, we would sleep on the (terrace),” she said.
She spoke in Hindi, too, “I am the citizen of Biratnagar, near the border of India. Maybe from my house, (India) is only 25 miles.” She said she went regularly to the market at the border.
About expectations from India, she said, ” India has helped Nepal at all times. We are very close… (But) there is a saying (in Hindi): ‘When there utensils kept together in the kitchen, they do make some sound.’ It happens.”
