Who is Sushila Karki: Ex-Chief justice to Nepal's first woman prime minister

After massive protests in Nepal, former Chief Justice, Sushila Karki is appointed as the interim prime minister of the country. She is also the first woman prime minister of Nepal. After the resignation of K.P. Sharma Oli, Karki is set to take oath on Friday evening to rule the country grappling with political and economic instability.

Sushila Karki, 73, is best known for being Nepal’s first and only woman Chief Justice, a position she held from 2016 to 2017. Prior to this, she served as a senior Advocate at the Nepal Bar Association since 2008.

During her law tenure, Karki earned a reputation for fairness, independence, and courage in taking on political interference in the judiciary. People hailed her for honesty, integrity, and stand against corruption.


In 2017, the Nepal Congress started impeachment proceedings against her in the Parliament, that led to her suspension.



According to the Himalayan Times, one of her landmark decisions includes the revocation of the Cabinet's decision to appoint Jaya Bahadur Chand the Nepal Police chief, dubbing it arbitrary, flawed, unjust and a bizarre example of pick and choose.

Also read: Nepal’s ex-Chief Justice Sushila Karki to be sworn in as interim Prime Minister amid unrest

Born on June 7, 1952, Karki is an alumnus of Banaras Hindu University (BHU), from where she pursued Post Graduation in Political Science in 1975. She has two more academic degrees on her portfolio - Bachelors in Arts and Bachelors in Law, both from Tribhuvan University.

As per records, Karki has published two books. Her first autobiographical book Nyaya was published on September 28, 2018 and her second book, the novel Kara, was published in 2019.

Gen Z protesters see Karki as the safest choice to head the interim government because of her nautrality and regard as a figure above party politics. Nepal's public is looking for a figure who can steady the transition without being accused of favoring one political party over another.

In their eyes, former Chief Justice symbolizes clean governance, judicial integrity, and the possibility of restoring public trust in institutions battered by years of political infighting.