KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court has overturned the government’s decision to stop providing government advertisements and notices to private media outlets.
The court annulled the circular issued by the government directing public bodies to publish and broadcast government advertisements only through state-owned media organizations.
A bench of Supreme Court Justices Saranga Subedi and Nripadhwaj Niraula issued the verdict on Tuesday, clearing the way for private media outlets to continue receiving government advertisements as before.
The writ petition was filed by advocate Ananta Raj Luitel on behalf of Nepal Media Society, challenging the government decision as unconstitutional and unlawful.
The petition argued that the decision to deny government advertisements to private media was aimed at weakening the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression.
On April 1, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers had issued a circular based on a secretary-level decision, instructing government bodies, provincial and local governments, and public institutions using state funds to publish and broadcast official notices only through state-owned media outlets, including Gorkhapatra Corporation, Radio Nepal, Nepal Television, and other government-owned media platforms.
The media sector had opposed the decision, arguing that it would negatively affect private media institutions and undermine the role of the press as the fourth pillar of democracy.
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