Kathmandu, 07 April (H.S.):

Nepal's government decision to withhold state advertisements from private media outlets faces a legal challenge in the Supreme Court.

The writ petition, filed by advocate Anant Raj Luintel on behalf of the Nepal Media Society—an organization of publishers of daily newspapers—claims the move undermines constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression.

Issued via a circular on April 1 from the Prime Minister's Office and Cabinet Secretariat, the directive mandates that all government advertisements appear exclusively in state-owned media, extending instructions to federal ministries, other agencies, provinces, and local bodies.

The petition further argues that the policy contravenes the Advertisement Act and infringes multiple fundamental rights enshrined in the constitution.It urges an interim order to halt implementation, warning of irreparable harm to the media sector if enforced.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar