KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 2

The Supreme Court (SC) has sought a reply from the government concerning disputes over the appointment of the Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA).

A single bench of Judge Prakashman Singh Raut on Friday sought a response from the government, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, and the NTA over the matter.

Earlier, a group of advocates including Ananta Raj Luintel, Pratibha Upreti, Bishal Thapa, Bikash Bhattarai, Kiritnath Sharma Poudel, Bishal Upadhyay, Rabindra Tamang, Sakuntala Bhusal, Trilok Bahadur Chand, Rajiv Bastola, and Gyanendra Raj Aran filed a petition at the apex court, challenging the appointment. They argued that the appointment violated the Constitution, laws, and regulations.

The petition accused the government of disregarding potential applicants who meet the criteria set in the Telecommunications Act when soliciting applications for the chairperson position. It further alleged that the government gave preferential treatment to individuals serving at senior posts (10th level or above) when seeking applications.

Moreover, the NTA has been accused of excluding individuals from the law, auditing, or management sectors, thereby depriving them of the opportunity to compete for the post.