The Supreme Court has refused to issue an interim order in both writ petitions related to Setopati.
On Tuesday, a bench comprising Justices Hari Prasad Phuyal and Nripa Dhwaj Niraula refused to issue an interim order in both petitions concerning Setopati.
After the Press Council and the Election Commission issued letters against Setopati's pre-election publication of election analyses, Setopati's Editor-in-Chief Ameet Dhakal had filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court on February 26.
The petition sought an interim order to prevent forcing the removal of election analyses and to allow the publication of upcoming analyses without obstruction.
Similarly, advocate Abhas Regmi and others had filed a petition demanding an interim order to remove such material and prevent its publication.
Hearing both petitions on Tuesday, the bench of Justices Phuyal and Niraula ruled that since the silence period has already begun, there is no need to issue an interim order.
“The silence period has already begun. There is no need to issue an interim order anymore,” Justice Phuyal stated in the courtroom.
The Supreme Court's website also mentions “interim order not issued” in the two petitions.
Previously, on February 27, a bench of Supreme Court Justice Shreekanta Paudel had summoned both parties for a discussion on the interim order and issued a show-cause notice to the defendants.
