Courts of Nepal Directory: Supreme Court, 7 High Courts, 77 District Courts and Tribunals

Nepal's judicial system is organised as a unified three-tier hierarchy under Part 11 (Judiciary) of the Constitution of Nepal 2072 (2015). Article 126 vests the power relating to justice in courts and other judicial bodies, which must act in accordance with the Constitution, other laws and recognised principles of justice. The three regular tiers are the Supreme Court at the top, the High Courts at the provincial level, and the District Courts at the district level.

The Supreme Court sits at the apex as a court of record. Under Article 128, all courts and judicial bodies fall under the Supreme Court except as otherwise provided, and the Supreme Court holds the final authority to interpret the Constitution and the laws. This makes the judiciary an integrated single structure rather than separate federal and provincial court systems, even though the country is organised into seven provinces and 77 districts.

Beyond the three regular tiers, the Constitution permits the creation of local-level judicial bodies and specialized courts or tribunals by federal law to handle particular categories of cases. Judicial committees operate at municipalities and rural municipalities to resolve minor disputes, while a set of specialized courts and tribunals handles areas such as corruption, taxation, labour, administrative discipline and foreign employment.

The Supreme Court of Nepal, located at Ram Shah Path in Kathmandu, is the country's highest court. It traces its origins to 1956 and was re-established under the 2015 Constitution as the apex of the federal judiciary. The court consists of the Chief Justice and a maximum of 20 other justices. Supreme Court justices serve until the age of 65.

The Chief Justice is appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Constitutional Council, while the other justices are appointed by the President on the recommendation of the Judicial Council. The Chief Justice and justices can be removed only through impeachment by a two-thirds majority of the House of Representatives, a safeguard intended to protect judicial independence.

The Supreme Court exercises three broad types of jurisdiction. Its original (extraordinary) jurisdiction lets it issue writs - including habeas corpus, mandamus, certiorari, prohibition and quo warranto - to enforce fundamental rights and constitutional provisions. Its appellate jurisdiction covers appeals from the High Courts, and it holds powers of constitutional review, judicial review and final interpretation of the law.

Each of Nepal's seven provinces has one High Court, established under the Constitution at the provincial level. High Courts hear appeals from District Court decisions within their province - across civil, criminal, revenue and family matters - and they exercise writ jurisdiction to issue habeas corpus, mandamus, certiorari, prohibition and quo warranto. Each High Court is led by a Chief Judge and additional judges, who are appointed by the Chief Justice on the recommendation of the Judicial Council and serve until the age of 63.

To extend access to justice across remote and populous districts, 11 additional benches operate outside the main High Court seats. Together with the seven principal seats, this creates 18 High Court locations spread across the country, reducing the distance litigants and lawyers must travel for appellate hearings.

The seven principal seats are listed below, followed by the benches attached to each. Exact bench locations have been adjusted over time by establishment notices, so litigants should confirm the current bench serving a given district with the Supreme Court or the relevant High Court.

District Courts form the foundation of the judiciary, with one court established in each of Nepal's 77 districts under Article 148 of the Constitution. They are the most geographically accessible courts and serve as courts of first instance, where lawsuits are filed, evidence is presented and initial judgments are rendered. Kathmandu District Court is the largest by caseload and number of judges.

Under Article 151, a District Court has the power to originally try and settle all cases within its jurisdiction; to hear petitions under law, including habeas corpus and prohibition; to hear appeals from decisions of quasi-judicial bodies and local-level judicial bodies; and to initiate and punish for contempt. Most ordinary civil disputes - property, contract, family and inheritance matters - and most criminal prosecutions begin at the District Court level.

Because every district has exactly one District Court, the directory of District Courts mirrors Nepal's list of 77 districts. Each District Court serves the geographic area of its district, and appeals from its decisions go to the High Court of the province in which the district lies. District Court judges are appointed on the recommendation of the Judicial Council and serve until the age of 63.

Article 152 of the Constitution allows federal law to create specialized courts, judicial bodies or tribunals for specific categories of cases, provided they are not constituted to try a single case. These bodies operate alongside the regular three-tier courts and concentrate expertise in technical areas of law. Final appeals from most of these bodies ultimately reach the Supreme Court.

The principal specialized bodies are summarised below. Their jurisdiction and appeal routes are defined in their respective governing statutes, such as the Special Court Act 2059 (2002), the Administrative Court Act 2076 (2019) and the Foreign Employment Act 2064 (2007).

Judicial appointments run through the Judicial Council, a constitutional body chaired by the Chief Justice that recommends candidates for judgeships at every level. The President appoints the Chief Justice (on the Constitutional Council's recommendation) and Supreme Court justices and District Court judges (on the Judicial Council's recommendation), while the Chief Justice appoints High Court judges on the Judicial Council's recommendation. Security of tenure, fixed retirement ages and removal only by impeachment for the highest judges are designed to safeguard judicial independence.

The standard appeal route flows upward through the hierarchy: a case decided by a District Court can be appealed to the provincial High Court, and High Court decisions can be appealed to the Supreme Court, whose interpretation of the Constitution and laws is final. Decisions of local judicial committees and quasi-judicial bodies generally enter the formal system through the District Court, while most specialized tribunals route their final appeals to the Supreme Court.

Because court establishment notices, bench locations and the number of sitting judges change over time, anyone needing the current contact details, jurisdiction or judge strength of a particular court should consult the Supreme Court of Nepal's official website, which maintains directories of the High Courts and District Courts.