KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has issued an interim order barring the Property Inquiry Commission from examining or demanding the property details of both sitting and retired judges until a final verdict is reached by a full bench.

The single bench of Justice Nripa Dhwoj Niroula handed down the ruling following two separate writ petitions: one filed by Top Bahadur Singh Thakuri, Chairman of the Former Judges Forum, and a contempt of court petition filed by Advocate Maniram Upadhyay.

The legal standoff intensified after the commission—originally established on April 15, 2026, by Prime Minister Balendra “Balen” Shah’s government to probe illicit wealth accumulated since 2006—issued a controversial public statement.

The commission had selectively interpreted a previous July 10 status quo order by Justices Tek Prasad Dhungana and Shrikanta Paudel, asserting that asset verification would continue uninterrupted for everyone except judges and military officers.

Advocate Upadhyay’s contempt petition successfully argued that this move deliberately distorted the court’s intent.

Legal challenges led by advocates like Prem Raj Silwal argue that the cabinet-formed panel, chaired by former Supreme Court Justice Rajendra Kumar Bhandari, breaches separation-of-powers principles.

Under the constitution, judicial figures are strictly insulated from executive reach and are subject only to the Judicial Council or parliamentary impeachment.

With this latest injunction, the full bench is set to adjudicate the wider constitutional validity of the commission’s jurisdiction over protected officials, leaving the high-profile anti-corruption probe effectively frozen for members of the judiciary.