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Sushila Karki

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The Right Honourable
Sushila Karki
सुशीला कार्की
Official portrait, 2025
39th Prime Minister of Nepal
Interim
Assumed office
12 September 2025
PresidentRam Chandra Poudel
Vice PresidentRam Sahaya Yadav
Preceded byK. P. Sharma Oli
25th Chief Justice of Nepal
In office
11 July 2016 – 6 June 2017
Appointed byBidya Devi Bhandari
Preceded byKalyan Shrestha
Succeeded byGopal Prasad Parajuli
Justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal
In office
January 2009 – 6 June 2017
Appointed byRam Baran Yadav
Preceded byKhil Raj Regmi
Succeeded byDeepak Raj Joshee
Personal details
Born (1952-06-07) 7 June 1952 (age 73)
Biratnagar, Morang District, Eastern Region, Kingdom of Nepal
Political partyIndependent
SpouseDurga Prasad Subedi
EducationTribhuvan University (BA, LLB)
Banaras Hindu University (MA)

Sushila Karki[a] (born 7 June 1952) is a Nepalese politician and former jurist serving as the interim prime minister of Nepal since 12 September 2025, following the Gen Z-led protests.[1][2] She is the first woman to head the Government of Nepal. Karki previously served as the chief justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal from 11 July 2016 to 6 June 2017, also the first woman to hold that office.[3][4]

Early life and education

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Karki was born on 7 June 1952 to a Chhetri family from Sankarpur (later part of Biratnagar[5]), Nepal.[6][7] She is the eldest of her family's seven children.[8]

Karki attended Tribhuvan University, earning a Bachelor of Arts from Mahendra Morang College in 1972. She then studied political science in India, and in 1975 received a master's in political science from Banaras Hindu University. She returned to Tribhuvan University to study law, graduating in 1978.[9][6][10]

Career

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Early years

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From 1986 to 1989, Karki worked as assistant teacher at Mahendra Multiple Campus, Dharan; from 1988, she concurrently was the bar president of the Koshi Zonal Court until 1990.[6][5] That year, she participated in the 1990 People's Movement to overthrow the Panchayat regime and was imprisoned in Biratnagar Jail. She later wrote the novel Kara inspired by her experiences.[11] In 2002, she was made president of the Biratnagar Appellate Court, a role she held until 2004, when she became a senior Advocate at the Nepal Bar Association.[6][5]

Supreme Court of Nepal

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Karki was appointed an ad hoc justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal in January 2009. Her position was made permanent the following year.[9][6] In March 2016, the Supreme Court heard a writ petition over the appointment of Khil Raj Regmi as interim Prime Minister. The court held that the petition, originally filed in 2013, was no longer relevant and dismissed it; Karki and Chief Justice Kalyan Shrestha dissented and found that the appointment of Regmi was unconstitutional. Karki later argued that Regmi's appointment had caused lasting damage to the Nepalese judiciary system.[12]

After the retirement of Chief Justice Shrestha in April 2016, Karki was recommended to take over the role by the Constitutional Council. She served on an ad hoc basis until a formal parliamentary hearing the following July confirmed her appointment.[8][6] She was the first female Chief Justice and known at the time of her appointment for being strict and anti-corruption.[13] She faced opposition for those attributes during her tenure, and was accused by the government of working against them after the Supreme Court overturned the appointment of Jaya Bahadur Chand as Chief of Nepal Police.[14][15][9] Impeachment proceedings, which became easier to initiate after the 2015 adoption of the Constitution,[16][12] were started against her in Parliament in April 2017 by Nepali Congress and CPN (Maoist Centre); she was automatically suspended.[9][15][17]

According to The Himalayan Times, the impeachment proceedings were viewed by many to be "politically motivated, intended to thwart the verdicts on some high-profile cases"[15] and United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein said that "the attempt to remove her gives rise to serious concerns about the Government's commitment to transitional justice and the rule of law".[18] Dissatisfied with decision to impeach her, the then deputy prime minister and home minister, Bimalendra Nidhi resigned[19][20] and the Rastriya Prajatantra Party left the coalition it had formed with Nepali Congress and CPN (MC).[17] In May, the Cholendra Shumsher Rana of the Supreme Court issued a stay against the proceedings.[15] Due to public pressure a deal was made during a cabinet reshuffle, and the ruling parties withdrew.[16][7] Karki resigned 6 June 2017 on reaching the age limit of 65.[21]

After her retirement from the court, Karki wrote an autobiography about her early life and career as a judge. Published as Nyaya, Karki argued that democracy relied on the independence of the judiciary.[22] The next year, she published her novel Kara.[11]

Notable decisions

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Interim Prime Minister of Nepal

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Main article: Interim government of Sushila Karki
Further information: Karki interim cabinet
US Nepal Summit for Democracy 2021
Karki in US Nepal Summit for Democracy 2021

After the 2025 Generation Z-led anti-corruption protests forced Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli to resign, an interim government was needed and Karki's name was suggested by some activists due to her political neutrality.[27] Following a poll on the online communication platform Discord, protester server members selected Karki out of five options.[28] The appointment was agreed upon during talks with the Nepalese army.[29][28][30]

Upon her recommendation, president Ram Chandra Poudel dissolved the Federal Parliament of Nepal on 12 September,[30][31] and Karki was sworn in as interim Prime Minister based on article 61 of the Constitution of Nepal.[32][33] She unveiled her cabinet beginning 15 September 2025.[34] She is the first woman in Nepal's history to hold the position.[30]

Personal life

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She married Durga Prasad Subedi, who as a youth wing leader of Nepali Congress was one of the perpetrators behind the 1973 Royal Nepal Airlines DHC-6 hijacking.[26][29][35][36] They met while studying in Banaras Hindu University,[37] and he was her tutor.[26] They have at least one child.[35]

In addition to her native Nepali, Karki speaks some Hindi and English.[9][6]

Bibliography

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  • Karki, Sushila (2018). Nyaya न्याय [Justice] (in Nepali). Nepal: Book Hill Publications. ISBN 978-9937-9217-8-7.
  • Karki, Sushila (2019). Kara कारा [Prison] (in Nepali). Nepal: Book Hill Publications. ISBN 978-9937-0-6806-2.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Nepali: सुशीला कार्की, romanized: Suśīlā Kārkī; pronounced [susilʌ‿kʌrki]

References

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  1. ^ "Nepal unrest: Sushila Karki to take oath as interim PM; parliament dissolved". The Times of India. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  2. ^ "How Gen Z-led protests are rattling governments across Asia". NBC News. 15 September 2025. Retrieved 18 September 2025.
  3. ^ "Sushila Karki recommended for Chief Justice". The Himalayan Times. 10 April 2016.
  4. ^ "First woman Chief Justice of Nepal, Sushila Karki, takes oath". The Indian Express. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 1 December 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Ghimire, Binod Ghimire. "She made history as first woman chief justice of Nepal. Now as PM". Kathmandu Post. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g "Rt. Hon'ble Justice Mrs. Sushila Karki (Subedi)". www.supremecourt.gov.np. Archived from the original on 15 July 2016.
  7. ^ a b c Gellner, David N.; Adhikari, Krishna P. (5 October 2020). "Guarding the Guards: Education, Corruption, and Nepal's Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA)". Public Anthropologist. 2 (2): 177–200. doi:10.1163/25891715-BJA10003. ISSN 2589-1707.
  8. ^ a b "Nepal Gets First Woman Chief Justice, Sign Of Changing Attitudes". NDTV. Reuters. 13 April 2016.
  9. ^ a b c d e "सुशीला कार्की कौन हैं, जिनके नेपाल के अंतरिम प्रधानमंत्री बनने की है चर्चा". BBC News Hindi (in Hindi). 11 September 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  10. ^ "Sushila Karki, Nepals's new Acting CJ". The Hindu. Press Trust of India. 15 April 2016.
  11. ^ a b "5 books on Nepali women by Nepali women". Online Khabar. 17 March 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  12. ^ a b Abeyratne, Rehan; Bùi-ngọc-Son, eds. (2022). The law and politics of unconstitutional constitutional amendments in Asia. Comparative constitutional change. London New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 147–148. ISBN 978-1-000-48373-4.
  13. ^ Ostermann, Susan (2017). "Nepal in 2016: Nepali Women Rise above a Sea of Instability". Asian Survey: A Bimonthly Review of Contemporary Asian Affairs. 57 (1): 60–64. doi:10.1525/as.2017.57.1.60. ISSN 0004-4687. JSTOR 26367725 – via JSTOR.
  14. ^ "SC revokes Chand's appointment as Nepal Police chief, paves the way for Silwal". The Himalayan Times. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  15. ^ a b c d "Supreme Court stays impeachment motion, reinstates CJ Karki". The Himalayan Times. 5 May 2017. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  16. ^ a b Bùi, Ngọc Sơn; Malagodi, Mara, eds. (2023). Asian comparative constitutional law. Oxford, UK ; New York, NY: Hart Publishing. p. 425. ISBN 978-1-5099-4969-4.
  17. ^ a b "Prachanda: Prachanda govt in crisis after coalition partner pulls support over judge's impeachment". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2 May 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  18. ^ Kafle, Sanjeeb (5 May 2017). "UN condemns move to impeach Nepal's Chief Justice". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  19. ^ "Nepal's deputy prime minister resigns after country's chief justice is impeached". Scroll.in. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  20. ^ "Deputy PM, Home Minister Bimalendra Nidhi resigns". Online Khabar. 30 April 2017. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  21. ^ Kafle, Sanjeeb (6 June 2017). "Chief Justice Karki retires". The Himalayan Times. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  22. ^ "Former CJ Karki's book released". Setopati. Retrieved 19 November 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Nepal Politics: Who is Sushila Karki, Gen Z's Pick for Interim PM?". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  24. ^ Keswani, Pallavi (12 September 2025). "Who is Sushila Karki, Nepal's new interim head". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  25. ^ "Justice with conviction". The Kathmandu Post. 19 February 2018.
  26. ^ a b c "Sushila Karki: Jurist with anti-graft reputation, Nepal's first woman CJ — and now potentially its first woman PM". The Indian Express. 10 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  27. ^ Landrin, Sophie (13 September 2025). "Sushila Karki appointed as Nepal's prime minister with mission to preserve unity". Le Monde. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
  28. ^ a b "Nepal's Gen Z protesters back ex-chief justice Karki for interim leadership". South China Morning Post. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  29. ^ a b "Nepal Gen-Z protesters want former chief justice Sushila Karki, 73, as interim PM". Hindustan Times. 10 September 2025. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  30. ^ a b c "Nepal gets first female PM after deadly unrest". BBC News. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
  31. ^ "Nepal's major parties say dissolved parliament must be reinstated". BBC. 13 September 2025. Retrieved 16 September 2025.
  32. ^ "Sushila Karki appointed Prime Minister under Article 61, becomes Nepal's first female head of government". OnlineKhabar English News. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  33. ^ Ellis-Petersen, Hannah (12 September 2025). "Nepal appoints its first female PM after historic week of deadly protests". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  34. ^ Gurubacharya, Binaj (15 September 2025). "Nepal's PM appoints 3 new ministers as interim government prepares to hold fresh elections in March". AP News. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  35. ^ a b Dahal, Binita. "Justice-in-chief: Legalese". Nepali Times. Retrieved 11 September 2025.
  36. ^ "Nepal unrest: Interim PM contender Sushila Karki's husband hijacked plane in 1973; passengers included actor Mala Sinha". The Times of India. 11 September 2025. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  37. ^ "Who is Sushila Karki? Nepal's Gen-Z protesters want ex-chief justice as the interim prime minister". The Indian Express. 10 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
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  • Media related to Sushila Karki at Wikimedia Commons
  • Interview with Sushila Karki, BBC Nepali Service
Political offices
Preceded by Prime Minister of Nepal
2025–present 		Incumbent
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