Writ petition filed in Supreme Court against government decision to restrict ads to state media

Kathmandu. A writ petition has been filed in the Supreme Court against the government's decision to withhold government advertisements from private media.

On behalf of the Nepal Media Society, Advocate Ananta Raj Luintel submitted the petition to the Supreme Court on Monday. The Society is an organization representing publishers of major media outlets, including national dailies. The preliminary hearing for the writ is scheduled for Tuesday.

Advocate Luintel stated that the Media Society has challenged the decision in the Supreme Court, alleging that the move to exclude private media from government advertisements aims to undermine the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution.

Following a secretary-level decision on Chait 18, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers had issued a circular to all government bodies—including federal, provincial, and local levels, as well as public entities using public funds—mandating that all government advertisements and notices be published or broadcast exclusively through state-owned media, such as Gorkhapatra Corporation, Radio Nepal, and Nepal Television.