KATHMANDU, April 7: The Supreme Court (SC) has issued a show cause notice in a case challenging the government’s decision to withhold government advertisements from private media outlets.
The single-judge bench, headed by Justice Megh Raj Pokharel, directed the government to explain why private media should not receive government advertisements.
Apex court issues show cause order on Advertisement Act
On April 1, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers had instructed all ministries, commissions, secretariats, the offices of chief ministers, and local bodies to publish and broadcast government advertisements only through state-run media outlets.
In response, the Nepal Media Society, represented by advocate Ananta Raj Luitel, filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court yesterday. Another petition was filed by Rahul Kumar Sah challenging the same government directive.
Both petitions named the Prime Minister’s Office and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology as respondents. Following the first hearing, the Court issued the show-cause notice to the government.
