KATHMANDU, MARCH 12

Nepal Media Society (NMS) has urged the Press Council Nepal (PCN) to withdraw its decision to take unilateral action against The Himalayan Times.

Chairman of Nepal Media Society Shubha Shankar Kandel issued a press release urging the Press Council Nepal to ensure the rule of law and fairness in its decisions in the future.

'We would like to draw your serious attention to the decision made by the Press Council Nepal on March 2 against The Himalayan Times. This was done unilaterally without any notice or discussion,' NMS said in its release.

NMS further said that before making such serious decisions, it was the responsibility of the Press Council Nepal to hear the concerned party's opinion and ensure impartial hearing.

Stating that although some coordination and technical issues were observed during the hearing, The Himalayan Times has already submitted an official letter with clarification after fulfilling the necessary responsibilities, 'we have want the decision against The Himalayan Times to be reconsidered', the NMS said in its release.

NMS urged the Press Council Nepal to adopt fairness in all its actions and to create an environment where such issues do not recur by simplifying future correspondence and dialogue.

Media watchdog organisations and experts also labelled the Press Council as a biased organisation.

Taranath Dahal, executive chief of the Freedom Forum and a freedom of expression and media law expert, stated that the PCN has a history of acting arbitrarily and crossing its jurisdiction. 'PCN as a regulatory body has completely sabotaged its credibility,' he said. 'Thus, such arbitrary and biased action against independent media does not raise concerns about media but rather worsens the credibility of the PCN itself.'

'To correct its course, the PCN should stay within its jurisdictions and follow due process before acting against any independent media,' he added.

Meanwhile, Media Action Nepal condemned the PCN's decision against The Himalayan Times, stating that the PCN's actions without granting the newspaper an opportunity to respond to allegations set a dangerous precedent, further threatening the independent media in Nepal.

'Attacking the newspaper without independent legal validation of the charges not only weakens press freedom but also undermines the credibility of the media regulatory body,' Laxman Datt Pant, the executive director of Media Action Nepal, said, in a statement. 'We urge the PCN to ensure due process and refrain from using its authority to intimidate the independent press.'