Kathmandu, April 10 -- The panel responsible for selecting leaders for the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and the Commission of Investigation on Enforced Disappeared Persons has invited applications from candidates interested in these roles.
Individuals interested in serving as chairpersons or members of the commissions have until next Friday to submit their applications, beginning this Thursday. The selection committee has outlined three methods for applying. Candidates may individually apply for either role, whereas various human rights and victim organizations can provide endorsements at an institutional level. However, these organizations must include proof of consent from each candidate they recommend.
Likewise, the recommendation committee has the option to identify candidates independently. This process allows for organizational nominations alongside the committee’s direct selection, which helps address concerns that well-known individuals may be reluctant to apply for roles within the commissions.
According to the Enforced Disappearance Inquiry, Truth and Reconciliation Commission Act, individuals such as former Supreme Court and High Court justices, ex-secretary-level civil servants, or those deemed suitable for elevation to the position of chief judge can qualify for the role of chairman of these commissions. For membership positions, candidates must possess a master’s degree, refrain from being affiliated with any political parties when applying, and demonstrate contributions to fields like human rights, peacebuilding, or legal practice.
“We opted to name the applications once we finalized the operational process, including the input from feedback,” stated Lily Thapa, a commission spokesperson and also a member of the National Human Rights Commission. “We will engage with relevant parties until the submission period for the applications concludes.”
The committee headed by ex-chief justice Om Prakash Mishra has called upon insurgency-period victims and representatives from civil society to provide input on the selection procedure on Friday.
The committee headed by Mishra was established by the KP Sharma Oli administration on March 24, following consultations with Pushpa Kamal Dahal, the chairman of CPN (Maoist Centre), who is also the head of the principal opposition party in the House of Representatives. This newly appointed committee kept the same coordinator and three members as the earlier panel, despite the latter’s failure to complete its tasks within a two-month timeframe.
Nonetheless, the commission is now represented by Commissioner Thapa. Previously, Commissioner Manoj Duwady was responsible for representing the commission. The committee must complete its task by May 23rd.
Following an assessment of the applicants' CVs, the committee plans to release a condensed list of contenders.
The candidates who are selected will undergo interviews and must deliver presentations. Ultimately, two chairs and eight members will be proposed for appointment, with the final decisions resting with the Cabinet. These newly formed groups will have a four-year period to conduct investigations, uncover the truth, suggest reparations, and propose prosecutions.
For the second time within three months, the committee headed by Mishra is tasked with selecting the officers for both the truth commission and the disappearance inquiry body.
Following extensive discussions between key political factions, the federal parliament revised the Enforced Disappearance Inquiry Act in August 2024, over nine years since the Supreme Court rejected several amnesty clauses within it. Two months later, on October 18, the administration established a five-person committee led by Mishra to propose candidates for the positions of two chairpersons and eight members across both commissions.
Earlier, the panel led by Mishra was unable to complete its task by the set deadline due to significant disagreements among its members regarding the names involved. Its term concluded in mid-December of last year.
Since July 2022, both committees have been dormant as the administration chose to prolong their mandates but did not retain their original leaders and participants.
Established in February 2015 with the aim of probing wartime offenses, the truth commission has processed 63,718 grievances so far. Likewise, the disappearance commission is handling approximately 2,500 cases to uncover information about individuals who were forcefully vanished by both Maoist groups and state military units during those times.