Revised privacy bill limits privacy of public office bearers

Task force formed to revise laws curtailing press freedom

KATHMANDU, Sept 12: The State Affairs Committee (SAC) of parliament finalized the Right to Personal Privacy Bill on Tuesday, proposing that the information on the property details, academic certificates, citizenship certificate and opinions of public office bearers be open to the media.

After criticism from various quarters including the media and civil society against the 'restrictive' provisions in the bill, the parliamentary committee has removed some stricter provisions against the press freedom and added provisions defining general public and public office bearers. The revised bill will be tabled at the full house meeting for discussion and endorsement on Thursday.

SAC added two sub-sections to Section 34 of the bill, allowing making healthy criticism, writing articles, making comments and providing or collecting information and publishing or broadcasting news about the roles and responsibilities, views and statements of public office bearers.

Earlier, the original bill had barred the media from reporting and writing about the character, views expressed over decisions, documents discussed in the meetings, commenting on the background of any individual including public office bearers. The bill registered by the home ministry had also barred the media and individuals from making and publishing 'distorted' pictures for cartoon and sarcasm. But the committee has now replaced Section 16 of the bill with existing provisions of Muliki codes to make uniformity in the legal provisions on the issue.

At a time when the press and civil society are protesting against the provisions in the Muluki codes, arguing that they are against press freedom, the privacy bill has also copied the same provisions ignoring the criticism.

Likewise, the bill has also added that 'property details, academic certificates, citizenship certificates of public office bearers submitted to the concerned office, legal positions, medals, awards and information, data and details of job responsibility' will not be a matter of personal privacy. Likewise, the new revision has removed employment details from the list of issues of personal privacy.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Information, Communication Technology has formed a task force to review the legal provisions curtailing press freedom including in the newly enacted Muluki codes.

Journalist Dev Prakash Tripathi has been appointed the coordinator of the task force while Federation of Nepali Journalists Chairperson Govinda Acharya, journalists Tirtha Koirala, Chandra Neupane, Subha Shankar Kandel, Subas Khatiwada, Purna Basnet, Dharmendra Jha, Ganesh Basnet, Badri Sigdel, Maheshwor Dahal, Nirmala Sharma, Danda Gurung, Tikaram Rai and Rajesh Ahiraj are its members. The task force has been given a 45-day deadline to submit its report to the ministry.