Supreme Court Issues Show Cause Notice Over Government Decision to Withhold Ads from Private Media

Kathmandu. The Supreme Court has issued a show cause notice in response to a writ petition filed against the government's decision to withhold government advertisements from private media outlets.

A single bench of Supreme Court Justice Meghraj Pokharel issued the show cause notice to the government and summoned both parties for a discussion regarding an interim order.

The writ petition was filed on Monday by Advocate Anantaraj Luintel on behalf of the Nepal Media Society. The petition claims that the decision to deny government advertisements to private media aims to undermine the freedom of expression guaranteed by the Constitution.

The Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers had previously issued a circular to all government bodies stating that all government advertisements and notices must be published and broadcast exclusively through state-owned media.

The petition further argues that the government's decision nullifies the Act related to the regulation of advertisements and violates the constitutional right to freedom of expression.