KATHMANDU, JULY 28
The Supreme Court has issued a show cause notice to the government in response to a public interest petition filed at the apex court demanding the full implementation of the Disability-Friendly Reproductive Health and Safe Motherhood Services Directive.
The public interest petition was filed on July 24 by petitioners including Senior Advocate Meera Kumari Dhungana and Advocate Dipesh Shrestha on behalf of the Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD), Nirmala Dhital, President of the National Federation of the Disabled Nepal Women, Meena Paudel, President of the Nepal Disabled Women's Association, and Durga Sapkota, Executive Director of YOSHAN.
The petition seeks a writ of mandamus directing the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, along with other concerned authorities, to ensure full implementation of the directive.
Following a preliminary hearing, a single bench of Justice Sharanga Subedi issued a show cause order requiring the respondents to explain their position.
The petition states that the Disability-Friendly Reproductive Health and Safe Motherhood Services Directive, 2022, introduced by the government to ensure that women with disabilities receive equal, accessible, and disability-friendly reproductive health and safe motherhood services, has not been effectively implemented. It therefore requests the Court to issue the necessary orders to ensure its full implementation.