The chairman and executive editor of Drishti News have been released on bail in a contempt of court case filed against them.
A full bench of the Special Court, comprising all its judges, on Thursday ordered Drishti News Chairman Shambhu Lal Shrestha and Executive Editor Man Prasad Limbu MP, also known as MP Subba, to post a bail of Rs 25,000 each.
The Special Court has six judges. The bench hearing this contempt case includes Special Court Chairperson and Judge Tek Narayan Kunwar, along with member judges Tej Narayan Singh Rai, Ram Bahadur Thapa, Murari Babu Shrestha, Ritendra Thapa, and Bidur Koirala.
Additionally, the court has summoned the witnesses mentioned by Shrestha in court to appear for testimony on June 29 at 10 a.m.
During Thursday’s hearing, Nepal Bar Association President Bijay Prasad Mishra appeared as an amicus curiae (friend of the court) and argued in that capacity.
The court has also requested the association to send three amicus curiae for discussions during the final hearing of the case.
On June 22, Drishti News published a news report titled "Middlemen’s influence continues in Special Court, clean chit within three months in collusion."
Nawaraj Sapkota and other staffers of the court filed a contempt of court case after the news was published.
After the preliminary hearing on June 24, the court ordered Drishti News Chairman Shrestha, Executive Editor Subba, and the reporter of the news to personally appear before the court within three days and record their statements. It also ordered that the news report not be removed or altered in any way until further notice.
The chairman and executive editor appeared in court on Thursday complying with the order. The executive editor took responsibility for the news report saying there was no specific reporter for it.
