basis of the respective status of Kumaris and the facilities made available to them, even though the state of education, food and recreation for Kumaris is not adequate, there does not seem to be any ground for dissatisfaction. The daily routine activities of a girl who becomes Kumari and those of ordinary girls cannot be compared. The prestige, honour and status of a girl becoming Kumari cannot be compared with those of other girls. The girls who have become Kumaris did not ever show by their conduct that an unnecessary burden had been imposed on them. On the contrary, they felt a sense of pride on becoming Kumari, and their facial expression showed that they had acquired some divine power. Even the parents were found to have experienced a sense of honour on the selection of their daughters as a Kumari. They only wished that the Nepal Government would make arrangements for granting a scholarship for the higher education of Kumaris and providing them with a job guarantee. The state of the human rights of Kumaris seemed to be satisfactory. Compared to other girls, their status and standard of living should be considered as superior. They do not seem to be deprived of any rights granted by the provisions of the international human rights instruments including the Convention on the Child Rights, 1989 and the Interim Constitution of Nepal, 2063 B.S. (2006). However, the custom of Kumari is faced with a situation in which one has to part with some freedoms in order to obtain some incomparable rights. There is a need to pay attention to expanding the scope of appointment of Kumaris from wider cross-section of society. It seems necessary to frame a clear procedure for the daily upbringing and care of Kumaris. The physical and psychological health of Kumari must be protected. There should not be any inadequacy in regard to qualitative and standard formal education for them. Qualified teachers need to be appointed for giving them quality education. Proper arrangements should also be made for providing recreation to Kumaris. The allowances and other facilities made available to Kumaris should be timely, adequate and transparent. Special scholarship quotas need to be fixed for ex-Kumaris by the Nepal Government for pursuing study in the areas of their interest according to their academic qualifications. Special priority should be given to their employment. It is essential to make timely reforms in the management of the activities to be performed daily, annually and on the occasion of festivals during the worship of Kumaris and the “rathyatra” (the chariot procession). It seems essential that the Nepal Government should make necessary arrangements for the residence of Kumaris. There must be proper arrangements for the basic facilities, repairs, painting, electricity and physical security of the residence of Kumaris. It seems desirable to maintain a modern account of the physical property, ornaments, land, offerings and donations related to the institution of Kumari. The Kumari culture ought to be included in the school curriculum for its protection. The government must conduct and cause to conduct the dissemination, publicity and additional study of the Kumari culture. It is also highly essential to constitute a separate Committee including experts on culture and ex-Kumaris for the management of the custom of Kumari. Petitioner Pun Devi “Sujana” also submitted a research report which stated that a comparative study of the Basantpur Kumari, Patan Kumari, Bhaktpur Kumari, Kathmandu Kyabahal 116