A writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the government’s decision to stop providing government advertisements to private media outlets.
Advocate Ananta Raj Luitel submitted the petition on behalf of the Nepal Media Society.
The Society is an organization of publishers of major media outlets, including national dailies.
The petition has been registered, and its preliminary hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday.
The Society filed the petition alleging that the decision to not provide government advertisements to private media is intended to weaken the constitutionally guaranteed freedom of expression.
On April 1, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers made a secretary-level decision directing that government advertisements and information be published and broadcast only through Gorkhapatra Corporation, Radio Nepal, Nepal Television, and other government-owned media. A circular was issued to all government bodies at the federal, provincial, and local levels and their subordinate bodies, as well as publicly funded institutions, to enforce this directive.
The petition states that the “fourth estate” (media sector) has opposed the decision and that it has had a negative impact.
The petition requests the Supreme Court to annul the government’s decision and circular through a certiorari order, and to issue a mandamus prohibiting any actions that restrict or weaken freedom of expression.
Stating that the case may take time to resolve, the petition also seeks an interim order to halt the implementation of the decision until a final verdict is reached.
