4 Rule of Law in Nepal

4.1 Constitutional anchorageThe Constitution of Nepal (2015) makes the rule of law a founding commitment — the Preamble pledges to build a nation committed to the rule of law; Article 1 declares the Constitution the fundamental law, voiding inconsistent laws; the directive principles and state policies commit the State to abide by them (Article 52); and the fundamental rights chapter supplies the substantive core, including the criminal-process guarantees of Article 20 — no punishment without law, presumption of innocence, protection from double jeopardy and self-incrimination, and the guarantee of a fair hearing by an impartial, independent and competent court (Article 20(9)) — a textual rule-of-law clause in its own right. The right to constitutional remedy makes these enforceable, and the Supreme Court's jurisdiction to review laws and executive action for constitutional conformity operationalizes legality: statutes and administrative acts outside the law are void and justiciable.4.2 Historical trajectoryNepali constitutionalism has climbed toward the rule of law across seven constitutions: the limited essays of 1948–1959; the panchayat era's partyless order (1962), where law flowed from the Crown and political freedom was offences on paper; the 1990 Constitution, which imported constitutional supremacy, judicial review and an independent judiciary — and under which the Supreme Court built a real jurisprudence of legality; the 2007 interim constitution of the peace process; and the 2015 Constitution,…