NATIONAL 3 -(Spotlight Weekly)

An Advocate Till Last

Senior advocate Shambhu Prasad Gyawali passes away leaving behind a remarkable legacy

By A CORRESPONDENT

He spent all his life for the judicial development of the country. Known for his untiring devotion to the legal field, he was busy till the last minute. Gyawali's end symbolized his life. He collapsed while addressing a seminar on judiciary held on April 9.

"Judges and advocates need to develop new type of relationship," Gyawali had said in his address before he collapsed and had to be rushed to Tribhuwan University Teaching Hospital.

After five days in coma in the hospital, Gyawali finally passed away on April 13 at the age of 76, leaving behind an illustrious career that witnessed many ups and downs in the country's quest for political and legal development. Gyawali is survived by his wife and two children.

"The death of Gyawali is a great set-back to the legal and constitutional development of Nepal," said Harihar Dahal, President of Nepal Bar Association.

He was a witness from close quarters to many political changes in the country. He gathered a variety of knowledge and experience by involving himself actively in the legal field during the democratic, Panchayati and again in the restored democratic regime.

He became the longest serving Attorney General of the country. Appointed in that post by the late Prime Minister Bishweshwor Prasad Koirala in 1959, he remained in that capacity for the next eleven years. Thus, he served under different system of government from democratic regime to autocratic Panchayat one.

Having entered the government service in 1949, Gyawali was involved in the law and justice field for half a century. Father of a noted water resource expert Deepak Gyawali, late Shambhu Prasad Gyawali was always miles away from dishonest activities during his long career.

In different capacities, Gyawali was instrumental in the legal reform measures in the country. As a Chairman of the Law Commission, he was closely involved in the drafting of Civil Code 1962 -- a milestone in the legal development of the country.

An expert in his field, Gyawali holds a unique record of being the first appointee after the promulgation of the Constitution of the Kingdom of Nepal 1990. He was appointed as the member of Judicial Council under the Constitution that year.

In recent times, Gyawali used to say that it was wrong for political parties to approach the court of law every time they face problems. He believed that political parties could themselves solve their problems by talking with each other.

Gyawali has also written a number of books on legal matters. His book "Byakti Ra Bichar" (Person and Opinion) was recently included by the Tribhuwan University's Central Law Department as the reference book for its syllabus.

His other books include "Towards Rule of Law", "Towards Better Legal Order", "Jeevan Ra Kanoon" (Life and Law) and "Under Three Kings", which he could not complete.

Respected by his contemporaries, Gyawali's death has been taken as an irreparable loss to the nation and especially to the legal field.

Housing Project In The Offing

Ansal Chaudhary Developers Pvt. Ltd., a joint venture between Chaudhary Group of Nepal and Ansal Group of India, have announced that they are going to launch Kathmandu Residency, an apartment-based housing project, for the first time in the country.

Deputy Prime Minister Ram Chandra Poudel formally launched the project at a function here on Monday evening.

The housing project will have altogether 145 apartments constructed at a cost of Rs 300 million. The Nepali parliament has already passed a Joint Apartment Ownership Act in 1997 but relevant regulations are yet to be introduced.

The apartments will be located at 1.76 acres of land in Bagdole, Lalitpur on the southern part of Kathmandu and their rates range from Rs 900,000 (for one bedroom apartment) to 18,00,000 (for three-bedroom apartment). Termed Kathmandu Residency, the apartments will be designed on the most modern lines with all the amenities that today's life is accustomed to.

Ansal Buildwell is a major entity in the sphere of real estate and construction in India. Ansals have developed various complexes in Thailand, Russia, Vietnam, Bangladesh and Myanmar apart from India.