The Patan High Court has extended the short-term interim order prohibiting the arrest of journalist Dil Bhusan Pathak.
On Thursday, Judges Tanka Prasad Gurung and Tikaram Acharya continued the interim order issued earlier to prevent Pathak’s arrest.
“Since no sufficient grounds have been established to warrant the arrest and investigation of the petitioner based on the complaint filed against him, the short-term interim order issued by this court on June 16, 2025, as per Rule 42 of the High Court Regulations, prohibiting the arrest of the petitioner until the final resolution of the case, is hereby continued. Inform the respondents of this order," the court’s order said.
Pathak had filed a writ petition on Sunday at the high court against the arrest warrant issued for him. Hearing the petition on Monday, a bench of Justice Rishi Raj Bhandari issued a short-term interim order prohibiting Pathak’s arrest.
The Cyber Bureau of Nepal Police had obtained an arrest warrant for Pathak on June 11. The Kathmandu District Court granted permission to the police to arrest Pathak for offenses under the Electronic Transactions Act.
A month ago, Pathak had broadcast a video report on Hilton Hotel and Jaybir Deuba, son of Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, on his YouTube channel “Tough Talk with Dil Bhusan Pathak.”
The video, titled “Reality of Hilton Hotel and Jaybir Connection,” was published on May 16.
The Cyber Bureau obtained the arrest warrant following a complaint about the video.
The district court faced criticism for allegedly overstepping its jurisdiction in issuing the arrest warrant.
