SC asks govt to respond to dispute over NTA Chair appointment

KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court (SC) has sought a reply from the government concerning disputes over the appointment of Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA).

A single bench of judge Prakashman Singh Raut on Friday sought response from the government, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the NTA over the matter.

Earlier a group of advocates Ananta Raj Luintel, Pratibha Upreti, Bishal Thapa, Bikash Bhattarai, Kiritnath Sharma Poudel, Bishal Upadhyay, Rabindra Tamang, Sakuntala Bhusal, Trilok Bahadur Chand, Rajiv Bastola and Gyanendra Raj Aran had filed a petition at the apex court, challenging the appointment.

They argued that the appointment was in violation of the Constitution, law and regulations.

The petition accused the government of disregarding potential applicants who meet the criteria set in the Telecommunications Act when soliciting applications for the chairperson position.

It further alleged that the government of giving preferential treatment to people serving at the senior post (10th level or above) while seeking applications.

Moreover, the NTA has been accused of excluding individuals from the law, auditing, or management sectors, thereby depriving them of the opportunity to compete for the post.