Shaping secularism through the judiciary in Nepal: two case studies from the Kathmandu Supreme Court

This article studies the shaping of secularism in Nepal through the analysis of two cases at the Supreme Court of Kathmandu: the first case challenges the tradition of the living goddess Kumari in the name of child rights, while the second one challenges the appointment of nepali priests at the Hindu temple of Pashupatinath: this appointment, decided by the Maoist Prime Minister and Patron of the Temple Trust, breakes with the ancient tradition of appointing South Indian priests. Both Kumari and Pashupati are national gods of paramount importance, and the way the lawyers and the court debate about these religious traditions challenged by modernity and political change shows that competing and distinctive understanding of secularism (and religion) are shaping in contemporary Nepal