No more shelving of study commission reports

For over three decades, Nepal has established more than a dozen commissions and committees, yet the implementation of their recommendations remains largely nonexistent. This pattern reveals how successive governments have consistently formed high-level panels to investigate issues such as corruption, atrocities during political movements, land grabbing, and smuggling, only to shelve their findings upon submission. In numerous cases, governments have not even formally received the reports.

This pattern of governmental inaction has been a constant since the 1990s. Following the 1990 People's Movement, an interim government formed a commission under Janardan Mallik to investigate the loss of life, property, and human rights abuses. Despite the sacrifices made for democracy, subsequent governments took minimal action on its findings. A similar response occurred after the 2006 People's Movement, with the Krishna Jung Rayamajhi Commission's report on the suppression of the movement gathering dust as governments showed little interest in its recommendations. Reports from various parties, including the Nepali Congress, CPN-UML, and CPN (Maoist Centre), have been similarly disregarded.

The current administration is perpetuating this trend. Ten panels have been established under Prime Minister Balendra Shah's government, or have had their reports fall under its purview for implementation, yet none have seen their recommendations fully enacted. The implementation of the Gauri Bahadur Karki commission's report on state atrocities during the Gen Z movement has led to the arrest of former prime minister KP Sharma Oli and ex-home minister Ramesh Lekhak, but progress on other human rights violations, such as those during the September 8 and 9 protests investigated by the National Human Rights Commission, remains stalled.

As Janardan Mallik observed, these panels often serve as a tool for governments to diffuse public outrage and alleviate political pressure, with their reports becoming obsolete once the immediate crisis subsides. This cycle persists regardless of Nepal's political transformations. It represents a significant betrayal of the public's expectation for justice and meaningful change based on investigative findings. The extensive time and state resources invested in these investigations are rendered futile when their conclusions are ignored, constituting a waste of public funds.

Failure to act on commission recommendations not only disrespects the experts involved but also severely undermines the credibility of the investigative process itself. This persistent disregard for findings erodes public trust and hinders the potential for genuine reform and accountability within the country.

“

governments have long used such panels to diffuse public outrage and ease political pressure, only to let their reports collect cobwebs once the immediate crisis has passed.