Kathmandu. The Nepal Insurance Authority, which has been hearing and deciding disputes as a quasi-judicial body, is now going to conduct hearings like in a court. The authority is going to construct a court-like courtroom in a newly constructed building and hear cases.
The first meeting of the Authority’s Board of Directors, chaired by the newly appointed Chairman of the Authority, Sharad Ojha, who is also a legal practitioner, held on Tuesday evening, decided to organize the hearing process of cases in the Authority as in a normal court. Executive Director Sushil Dev Subedi, who is also the spokesperson of the authority, said that arrangements are being made so that the parties concerned can get information about the status of the case through the online portal.
The authority has informed that the hearing date of the pending applications, the progress of the case, the plaintiff and the defendant, the verdict of the case and the full text of the verdict will be made public through the online portal.
The insured will also be able to appoint a legal advisor if they wish to argue in their favor, spokesperson Subedi said. The parties to the case can also get details of the documents to be submitted in connection with the application through the online portal.
To get updated information about the pending cases, the parties concerned can visit the authority’s website. There is a compulsion to go to the office itself. According to the Authority, this facility, which is planned to be implemented from Baisakh 1, will not require any party to visit the Authority to get information about the general progress of the case.
A judicial committee comprising three members out of the five-member board of directors of the Authority hears and decides cases registered with the Authority regarding insurance claims. Although the presence of the secretary of the Ministry of Law is considered mandatory for the conduct of judicial sessions, there is no clear legal provision in this regard, said Spokesperson Subedi.
