Kathmandu District Court issued an order on June 10 to the news portals Bizmandu.com and Nepalkhabar.com to remove published news contents.
The news portals are being operated from Kathmandu, the federal capital city.
Chairperson at Securities Board of Nepal Santosh Narayan Shrestha had filed a case of ‘character assassination’ against the portals at the court for publishing news about him. The portals have been publishing news related to Chairperson Shrestha’s alleged involvement in several corruption cases at the board.
In the case, the court issued an interlocutory order to immediately remove the published contents and not to publish any news further on this issue.
The court stated that with reference to the possible harm to the plaintiff, the defendants should not publish unverified and baseless news through their websites, online platforms, or any other medium, and must immediately remove the already published articles from their online platforms.
Freedom Forum expresses concern over the court’s order which undermines press freedom. The court’s decision seems biased and issued without adequate hearing process. The court could have provided the media an opportunity to correct or justify themselves before issuing an order.
FF urges the respected judiciary to reconsider its decision and deliver balanced and just verdict.
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