Ratna Bahadur Bista (1910–1990) was the fifth

Chief Justice of Nepal The Chief Justice of Nepal ( ne, प्रधान न्यायाधीश) is the head of the Judiciary, judicial branch of Nepal and the chief justice, chief judge of the Supreme Court of Nepal. The Chief Justice is the highest judicial o ...

. He was born in

Dadeldhura Dadeldhura, a part of Sudurpashchim Province, is one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal. The district, with Dadeldhura as its district headquarters, covers an area of and had a population of 126,162 in 2001 and 142,094 in 2011. The region ...

to an aristocratic family that was given land grants in

Sudurpashchim Province Sudurpashchim Province ( ne, सुदूरपश्चिम प्रदेश, ''Sudurpashchim Province'') (''Far-West Province'') is one of the seven provinces established by the new constitution of Nepal which was adopted on 20 September ...

circa 1911 during a hunting trip by King

George V George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936. Born duri ...

of the United Kingdom and

Chandra Shumsher Jang Bahadur Rana Field-Marshal Maharaja Sri Teen Chandra Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana (8 July 1863 – 26 November 1929) was the Prime Minister of Nepal from the Rana dynasty. He served in this capacity from 27 June 1901 to his death in 1929, after he successfully ...

, the Prime Minister of the Rana Dynasty. He went on to become the 5th

, in office from 26 July 1970 to 6 August 1976. He was appointed by the then-king of

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mai ...

Mahendra Mahendra is a Sanskrit compound word deriving from Maha (Highest position) and Indra Deva (the King of Gods) from Hindu mythology.{{Citation needed, date=April 2022 It has been used in compound royal styles. History and politics Royalty * M ...

. He was responsible for the Summary Procedure Act 1971. The Committee that he established recommended for the establishment of High Courts in different regions which resulted in the creation of a four tiered judicial structure with one additional tier in the middle- "the Regional Courts." He is the recipient of the

Order of Tri Shakti Patta The Most Illustrious Order of Tri Shakti Patta ( ne, त्रिशक्ति पट्ट; Order of the Three Divine Powers) is an order of knighthood of the former Kingdom of Nepal. It is conferred on members of the Royal Family or Nepali citi ...

by King

Birendra of Nepal Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज वीरेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव ) (28 December 1945 – 1 June 2001) was the tenth Shah Ruler and the King of N ...

on June 10, 1980 He had worked as a member of the National Election Commission formed by

King Birendra Birendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज वीरेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव ) (28 December 1945 – 1 June 2001) was the tenth Shah Ruler and the King of N ...

on June 26, 1980. The Election Commission had held a referendum election in 2037 BS 1980 AD Bista was preceded by

Bhagwati Prashad Singh Bhagwati Prashad Singh was a Nepalese judge who served as 4th Chief Justice of Nepal, in office from 9 April 1964 to 10 July 1970. He was appointed by the then-king of Nepal, Mahendra. Singh was preceded by Hari Prasad Pradhan and succeeded by ...

and succeeded by

Nayan Bahadur Khatri Nayan Bahadur Khatri (died 24 May 2019) was a Nepalese judge who served as 6th Chief Justice of Nepal, in office from 8 December 1976 to 10 December 1985. He was appointed by the then-king of Nepal, Birendra. He was the longest serving Chief Jus ...

Personal life

He is a part of the Bista Family that originates in the far western region of Nepal. Many members and mostly his nephews have held public office in the government of Nepal.His Nephew Lok Pratap Bista was also appointed by King

Mahendra of Nepal Mahendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev ( ne, श्री ५ महाराजाधिराज महेन्द्र वीर विक्रम शाह देव; 11 June 1920 – 31 January 1972) was the King of Nepal from 13 March 1955 until h ...

as the Minister of Forestry and Agriculture. His nephew Puran Bahadur Bista also held public office as the 4th Nepalese Director General of Department of Customs. His nephew Dr. Mahendra Bahadur Bista held the position of director general of the government's Department of Health (DOH) and the director of Nepal's Epidemiological and Disease Control Division position implementing modern maternity care and disease control in rural parts of the country. His eldest son Dhirendra Bahadur Bista was a judge in the district court while his second son Major Jitendra Bahadur Bista was a military pilot and

major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

in the

Nepal Army The Nepali Army ( ne, नेपाली सेना, translit=Nēpālī Sēnā), technically the Gorkhali Army ( ne, गोरखाली सेना, translit=Gōrakhālī Sēnā, label=none; see ''Gorkhas''), is the land service branch ...

, known for his daredevil helicopter stunts and rescue missions all over Nepal. His nephew Dipendra Bahadur Bista was the ambassador of Nepal to the United Kingdom from 2003 to 2007. Another nephew of the same namesake was Deputy Inspector General Dipendra Bahadur Bista who was the head of Mid Western Regional Police Office in Surkhet, Nepal.

References

Chief justices of Nepal 1910 births 1990 deaths People from Dadeldhura District {{Nepal-law-bio-stub