Nepal's courts are experiencing a shortage of judges which has resulted in a delay of justice. The posts of seven judges-two permanent posts and three temporary posts-are vacant at Nepal's Supreme Court. The Judicial Council, comprising the Chief Justice, two senior judges, the minister for law and a member nominated by the king, has yet to address this problem. Consequently, the number of cases are piling up. A large number of judges posts are also vacant at the appellate and district courts. Many of these posts have been vacant since the time of ex-Chief Justice Keshav Raj Upadhyaya. Filling up these posts has become a big challenge for present Chief Justice Kedar Nath Upadhyaya. At present, seven posts in the Supreme Court, 29 posts in the appellate courts, and 15 posts in the district courts are vacant. For the time being, about 16,000 cases have been put aside at the Supreme Court while 25,000 cases at the Supreme Court, appellate courts and district courts are awaiting hearings.