Case of Contempt of Court Against Balen

A hearing is currently underway at the Supreme Court in Kathmandu regarding a contempt of court case filed against Balendra (Balen) Shah, the Mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitan City. The hearing is scheduled for Monday before a bench of Justices Hariprasad Phuyal and Mahesh Sharma Paudel. This marks the second hearing for this specific case.

The case originated when advocate Deepak Raj Joshi filed a writ petition. In his petition, Joshi demanded that legal action be taken against Mayor Shah for allegedly disregarding the court's authority. The controversy began after the Supreme Court issued an interim order to stop the demolition of a structure at Norvic Hospital.

In response to this court order, Mayor Balen Shah made a public statement. He was quoted as saying, "Now, will we even have to let the Supreme Court handle the work of approving building maps?" This reaction from the Mayor led to the filing of the contempt of court case, arguing that his remarks showed disrespect for the judiciary and its orders.