Sapana Pradhan Malla

Sapana Pradhan Malla
सपना प्रधान मल्ल
Malla in 2016
Chief Justice of Nepal
Acting
In office
1 April 2026 – 19 May 2026
PresidentRam Chandra Paudel
Preceded byPrakash Man Singh Raut
Succeeded byManoj Kumar Sharma
Justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 August 2016
Personal details
Born (1963-11-15) 15 November 1963
Nawalparasi District, Nepal
EducationNepal Law Campus (Tribhuvan University) (LLB)

University of Delhi (MCL)

Harvard Kennedy School (MPA)

Sapana Pradhan Malla (Nepali: सपना प्रधान मल्ल; born 15 November 1963) is a Nepali jurist, who is currently serving as a Justice of the Supreme Court of Nepal since 1 August 2016.[1] She served as the acting Chief Justice for a short period from 1 April to 19 May 2026, following the retirement of Prakash Man Singh Raut.[2]

Malla was a member of the 1st Nepalese Constituent Assembly. She has served as the former president of Judges Society, the professional organization of Nepalese judges.[3][4]

Malla currently serves as the senior-most judge (puisne Judge) of the Supreme Court of Nepal.[5]

Early life and education

Malla was born on 15 November 1963, in Nawalparasi district in Nepal.[6] She holds a Bachelor in Law from Tribhuwan University, Master in Comparative Law (MCL) from the Delhi University and Mid-Career Masters on Public Administration from Kennedy School of Government from Harvard University.

Career

Malla has been practicing law since 1987 and became a Senior Advocate in 2013.[7] A former member of the Nepalese Constituent Assembly from May 2008 to May 2012, she advocated for women's rights in all areas—from inclusion to reproductive rights to citizenship.[8]

When asked about the challenges she faces as an advocate for women's rights, she told PassBlue: "When I started working on women’s rights, I decided to take up this work because it wasn’t just social, cultural bias against women that existed in the country, but even the law was problematic. But when you want to reform the law, you need to challenge everything: the state, the biases against women, culture, religion and a majority of patriarchal views."[8]

In 2008, Malla and Yanar Mohammed were joint winners of the Gruber Prize for Women's Rights (given by the Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation[9]) for her work related to "public interest litigation in [Nepal], including equality in inheritance, legalization of abortion, criminalization of marital rape, equality in marriage and family law."[10]

Malla was a member of the Committee Against Torture (CAT) during the 2014 to 2017 term. She is also the former president of the Forum for Women, Law & Development.[11]

References

  1. ↑ "Honorable Mrs. Sapana Pradhan Malla". Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  2. ↑ "सपना प्रधान मल्ल कामु प्रधानन्यायाधीशको जिम्मेवारीमा". onlinekhabar.com (in Nepali). 1 April 2026.
  3. ↑ Nepal Khabar. "Sapana Pradhan Malla appointed Judges' Society chair". Nepal Khabar. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  4. ↑ "Malla elected Chairman of Justice Society". Nepalnews. Retrieved 2024-01-04.
  5. ↑ "Supreme Court of Nepal". supremecourt.gov.np. Retrieved 2025-12-15.
  6. ↑ "Biographical data form of Ms. Sapana Pradhan-Malla" (PDF). Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  7. ↑ "Hon'ble Justice Mrs. Sapana Pradhan-Malla". supremecourt.gov.np. Retrieved 2020-12-20.
  8. 1 2 Neupane, Shiwani (May 8, 2014). "Meet Sapana Malla, a Diligent Pioneer of Women's Rights in Nepal". PassBlue. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  9. ↑ "The Peter and Patricia Gruber Foundation". Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Sapana Pradhan Malla". Retrieved November 12, 2019.
  11. ↑ "Forum for Women, Law and Development". Retrieved November 12, 2019.

12.https://english.ratopati.com/story/56591/senior-most-judge-malla-kamu-takes-charge-as-chief-justice

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