Kathmandu, April 15

The Supreme Court has ruled that the novels — Nathiya and Ailani and the feature film Pandit Bajeko Lauri — did not undermine the prestige and dignity of Badi women as claimed in the writ petition filed by Mina Nepali and others against the authors and the government.

This was stated in the full text of the verdict delivered today by the apex court.

The petitioners had argued that the words used in the two novels and the feature film undermined the dignity of Badi women and thus violated their right to live with dignity.

The court said the use of some words in the litterateurs’ creation could not justify curtailment of writers’ freedom, albeit the freedom of expression was not absolute. The court, however, said if the petitioners thought the writers and publishers defamed them then they were free to pursue their case under relevant laws, but not through a writ petition.

The court, however, said it expected the authors to be mindful of the sensitivity of the concerned communities when they publish the next edition of their novels. The court also issued a directive to the Film Development Board to ensure that films do not undermine the prestige of any community. The order was passed by a division bench of Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada and Bam Kumar Shrestha on February 27.