SC to continue hearing on media ordinance on Monday (Update)

The Supreme Court Sunday adjourned for the next day the hearing on a number of writ petitions challenging the recently promulgated media ordinance. The court started hearing the cases from today itself.

A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Dilip Kumar Poudel, Kedar Giri and Sarada Prasad Pandit decided to continue the hearing on Monday.

Advocates Rabi Raj Bhandari, Madhab Basnet, Kumar Regmi, Dhruba Lal Shrestha and Purna Man Shakya presented argument in favour of a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Bhandari and Kahar Singh Khadka while advocate Raghu Chandra Gyawali argued from the side of nine professional organizations including Nepal Bar Association, Federation of Nepalese Journalists and Nepal University Teachers Association (NUTA) which had filed a case on October 23.

Both writ petitions demanded that the court issue an interim order stopping the implementation of the ordinance which goes against the provisions of the constitution of 1990 and curtails press freedom and freedom of expression.

The court is also set to hear a case filed by Kantipur F. M., a leading private sector radio station, against the government’s act of seizing its equipment around mid-night on October 21.

The authorities said the equipment were seized as the Kantipur F. M. was found violating certain provisions in the new law. The Kantipur F. M. management, however, says its transmission is fully in accordance with the law. nepalnews.com by/mk Oct 30 05

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