Kathmandu, September 3

Lawmakers have registered 16 proposals to amend the right to privacy bill, some of which seek immunity for journalists when reporting or commenting on issues of public importance and conduct of serving and retired public officers.

The Federation of Nepali Journalists and the main opposition party have flayed provisions of the new penal code and the right to privacy bill, stating that those provisions are too restrictive for journalists and media outlets and thus curtail press freedom.

Lawmaker Binda Pandey from the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has sought amendment to the right to privacy bill to give journalists the right to report and comment on serving and retired public officers’ academic qualifications, their correspondence and their property details.

She has also sought incorporation of provisions in the bill whereby journalists can report on serving and retired public officers if they have reasons to doubt that such officers have committed unlawful acts or are trying to commit such acts. She also sought immunity for journalists when making fair comments through their write-ups on serving and retired public officers.

NCP lawmakers Krishna Bhakta Pokharel, Pavitra Niraula, Narayan Prasad Khatiwada, Ghanshyam Khatiwada, Shashi Shrestha and Navina Lama have also sought amendments to the new bill along the lines of amendments sought by Pandey.

NCP’s Anjana Bishankhe and Parvati Bishunke have stated in their proposal that journalists should have the right to record other’s communication of public importance. They, however, added that journalists should not reveal details of conversation if it is related to purely personal affairs.

Nepal Workers and Peasants Party lawmaker Prem Suwal has sought incorporation of the word ‘in the name of right to privacy, one cannot hide crime,’ in the preamble of the bill.

NCP lawmakers Bijay Subba, Surya Prasad Pathak and Nawa Raj Rawat have  sought to define public post.

Similarly, NCP lawmakers Krishna Bhakta Pokharel, Pavitra Niraula, Narayan Prasad Khatiwada, Ghana Shyam Khatiwada, Shashi Shrestha and Navina Lama have sought to define the public post holders as people who are supposed to exercise public authority or discharge any responsibility or duty.

Binda Pandey has also sought delisting of gender identity from the list of privacy issues.

Rastriya Janamorcha lawmaker Durga Paudel has sought incorporation of provisions whereby women should be frisked by women security personnel and when women security personnel are not available then body search should be conducted by other women designated by the government authorities.

NCP lawmaker Bhim Bahadur Rawal has sought to delist citizenship, passport, voter identity card and driving licence from the lists of privacy documents.

NWPP’s Suwal also sought delisting of details related to individual’s bank accounts, bank balance, bank statements, debit and credit cards, cheques and drafts, details relating to immovable property and securities from the lists of privacy issues.

Nepali Congress lawmaker Divya Mani Rajbhandari has sought deletion of 12.4 (c), (d) and (g) of the bill. These provisions of the bill give individuals immunity from making public the details relating to employment, family and political affiliation, along with election related details.

NCP’s Binda Pandey has also sought incorporation of a provision whereby privacy clause should not apply if comments are made against somebody who has been convicted by the last tier of the court.