KATHMANDU, Oct 4: The Supreme Court has stayed the decision of Kathmandu Metropolitan City to demolish the historic Bag Durbar to develop a new building.

A single bench of Justice Deepak Raj Joshee on Wednesday issued the interim order not to demolish the building in response to a writ petition filed by a group of conservation campaigners. Joshee in the interim order has ordered not to carry out any demolition works until the final verdict on the writ petition is made, keeping in view of the fact that Bag Durbar is also a building of archeological and historical importance.

Senior advocates Rama Pant Kharel, advocate Prakash Mani Sharma, student of Kathmandu School of Law Sanjaya Adhikari, coordinator of Heritage Conservation Campaign Struggle Committee Ganapati Lal Shrestha had jointly filed the writ petition as the KMC prepared to demolish the building despite calls of conservationists not to do so. The petitioners have maintained that Bag Durbar could be easily retrofitted to bring it back to life.

The petitioners had made KMC Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya, the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the Ministry of Forest and Environment, the National Human Rights Commission, Office of the Attorney General, among others, as defendants.

 
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