Liladevi Gadtaula made history by becoming Nepal's first woman Chief Secretary. Her appointment by the Council of Ministers marked a significant milestone, as she became the 27th person, but first woman, to hold this position in Nepal's civil administration.
Gadtaula's journey began on January 10, 1996, when she entered the judicial service as a branch officer. She became a deputy secretary on October 20, 2006 , through file promotion after failing to compete for the position. Her path to joint secretary was challenging; she failed her first attempt but succeeded on the second try.
She advanced to the position of joint secretary on January 23, 2014, and was further promoted to secretary on November 12, 2020. As Secretary of the Justice Service, Gadtaula encountered limited opportunities. In Nepal, Secretaries of the Justice Service are usually assigned to particular institutions: the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, the Nepal Law Commission, the Disappeared Persons Investigation Commission, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, and the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers.
Gadtaula's appointment as Chief Secretary came just 37 days before her mandatory retirement at age 58, scheduled for August 31, 2024. This meant her tenure would be unusually short, as the typical term for a Chief Secretary is three years.
Her journey to this role wasn't direct. Following her promotion to secretary in 2020, she served at the government-appointed law commission. In 2023, when the Secretary of the Ministry of Law position became available after Dhanraj Gyawali's retirement, Gadtaula was the most senior candidate. However, then Congress Vice President Dhanraj Gurung, who was the Minister of Law, Justice, and Parliamentary Affairs, decided not to transfer Gadtaula from the commission to the ministry. Instead, he appointed Udayraj Sapkota, who had prior experience as a law secretary and was the secretary of the Prime Minister's and Council of Ministers' office.
This decision ended Gadtaula's chances of becoming the first female secretary of the law ministry. She was moved to the Prime Minister's Office in 2023 from the commission, replacing Sapkota.
In 2023, when a new coalition government with UML was formed, UML's Padam Giri became the Law Minister. He also passed over Gadtaula, instead appointing Phanindra Gautam, who had been promoted to secretary and was junior to Gadtaula.
An effort was made to assign Gadtaula to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission and bring Secretary Sapkota back to the Prime Minister's Office. This initiative, started by the then Chief Secretary Dr. Vaikunth Aryal, did not succeed. The then Prime Minister Prachanda halted the transfer, pointing out that Gadtaula was nearing retirement.
Gadtaula only entered Singha Darbar after working at the Nepal Law Commission for 34 months following her promotion to secretary. She expected only an honorable retirement at this point.
However, her career took an unexpected turn when Chief Secretary Dr. Vaikunth Aryal was suspended due to an investigation by the Abuse of Authority Investigation Commission. Gadtaula became acting chief secretary based on her seniority among the secretaries in the Prime Minister's Office.
the first cabinet meeting of the new coalition government of UML and Congress decided to appoint her as the permanent Chief Secretary. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli proposed Gadtaula's appointment as the first item on the agenda, receiving support from the ministers.
Gadtaula expressed her sense of responsibility, saying, "I have felt that I have a responsibility, it is not the position I imagined. Some say it is luck, some say it is karma, I have to keep working as long as I understand, luck also supports me."
Addressing potential controversies about her appointment, Gadtaula noted that she became Chief Secretary while eighth in seniority, similar to a previous appointee, Leelamani Paudel. She stated, "Yesterday, Leelamani Paudel was ranked eighth and today I became the chief secretary with the same name as Leeladevi Gadtaula."
Born in Tehrathum, Gadtaula grew up in a rural environment, performing various household chores like cutting grass, collecting dung, drawing water, and cleaning houses. She moved to Kathmandu for further studies after completing her schooling, a daring move for a girl from her village at that time. She recalled, "At that time, no girl from my village had ever studied in a camp, even if some lived outside, they stayed with their relatives. I dared to do that even then."
Gadtaula's appointment, though brief, represents a significant step for women in Nepal's civil service. She acknowledges that her position fulfills "all women's unexpressed desires and feelings." As she leads the civil administration for her short tenure, she aims to address staff unrest, promote the rule of law, develop a just system, and improve public services, drawing from her own experiences of facing challenges in her career.
