Contempt of court case against Balen Shah postponed

Kathmandu, March 12 — A contempt of court petition filed against Kathmandu Metropolitan City Mayor Balen Shah has been postponed for hearing by the Supreme Court.

The petition was scheduled to be heard by a bench consisting of Justices Hari Prasad Phuyal and Nityananda Pandey, but the case was marked as “not to be heard” for the time being.

The petition arose after Mayor Shah decided to impose a ban on Bollywood films, including the movie Adipurush, in Nepali theaters.

In response to this decision, the Nepal Film Producers Association took the matter to the Patan High Court.

Following the High Court's interim order, which allowed the screening of Indian films approved by the censor board, Mayor Shah criticized the court and the government, accusing them of being subservient to India.

The petition for contempt of court was filed by Advocate Barsha Kumari Jha on June 22, 2023, seeking action against Mayor Shah for his comments.

The Supreme Court's bench has yet to set a new date for hearing the case.