KATHMANDU, Aug 21: Press Council Nepal has informed that it summoned Editor-in-Chief of Nagarik Daily, Guna Raj Luitel, to seek clarifications after the name of Chief Minister of Province 5 Shankar Pokharel appeared otherwise in a news item published in the paper.  

Issuing a press statement on Sunday, press council official Jhabindra Bhusal said it had summoned Luitel last week to ask how come a news item headlined ‘Jagadishpur to be developed as a model of the country’ published in Nagarik, sister publication of Republica, on May 23 gave Chief Minister Shankhar Pokharel’s name as Ishwar Pokhrel when the item included Shankhar Pokharel’s photo and a quote. The news item was published in the Western edition of the paper and was immediately corrected. 

The council had summoned Luitel at its offices on Friday and tried to grill him, in breach of its jurisdiction. Officials of the press council had told Luitel that a complaint was registered against the news item and that the council wanted to hold a discussion regarding the matter with both sides—the complainant and the editor. 

Luitel had boycotted the meeting, saying he would not take part in such hearings. Editor of Annapurna Post Akhanda Bhandari was summoned along with Luitel  Friday. 

The statement of the council also clarified that it had no intention of grilling the editors or holding any kind of hearings as claimed in the news story published by Nagarik on August 17. The council stated that its officials were really saddened by the news report headlined “Press council grills editors”.  
 

 
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