Kathmandu. KATHMANDU: The Supreme Court (SC) has annulled the government’s decision to ban government advertisements from private media houses. A division bench of Justices Saranga Subedi and Nripa Dhwaj Niraula issued the verdict on Tuesday.

On April 1, 2002, the government issued a circular directing the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers to publish and broadcast all public information and government advertisements at the federal, provincial and local levels only through the government-owned media including the Gorkhapatra Corporation, Radio Nepal and Nepal Television.

Advocate Ananta Raj Luitel, empowered on behalf of Nepal Media Society, had filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court on April 8, 2002 arguing that the decision of the government has directly affected the freedom of the press, freedom of expression, right to equality, fair competition and citizen’s right to information.