A majority of lawyers at Morang Bar Association opined that it was not appropriate to file a contempt of court case against Nagarik daily over the news about the release of those facing trial on abduction case.[break]
“There was no majority on the proposal to file the case,” said a lawyer. "The case was filed merely in the interest of some lawyers who pleaded against Khilanath Dhakal.”
Sources said NBA president Sita Ram Rai and other NBA members were against the decision to file the case. The lawyer also said that the case against SP Pradumna Karki was filed with the intent to get him transferred from Morang. “Karki has kept a strict tab on smuggling, hooliganism and other unlawful activities ever since he took office as the district police chief. So some political leaders have used the lawyers in filing the case against him,” the lawyer said.
Kumar Bhattarai, President of NBA Appellate Court Chapter Biratnagar, lawyers Suresh Lal Shrestha and Prakash Upreti, among others, were actively involved in filing the case against the publisher, editor-in-chief of Nagarik daily, the daily´s Biratnagar-based correspondent Dhakal and SP Karki.
Meanwhile, central member of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) Mohan Kaji, who is also the FNJ coordinator in the eastern region, urged the lawyers to withdraw the case.
“Otherwise, such a move may build hostility between the media and judiciary,” said Kaji.
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