Pokhara, October 21:

Pokhara-based professionals including journalists today organised a rally protesting the Ordinance to amend Media Acts, recently promulgated by the government.

The Ordinance is against the norms of present 1990 constitution so it cannot function to curtail the people’s right to information nad the Press freedom we have been enjoying till date, the demonstrators said. They also burnt a copy of the Ordinance.

Addressing the corner meeting after the rally Gangadhar Parajuli, central vice-president of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) said: “The protest will continue until the government revokes the Ordinance.” He said that the government is trying to curb Press freedom by going against the spirit of the present constitution.

Shivalal Malla, chairman of Broadcasting Association Nepal said: “The government is trying to ban the voices of the people by promulgating the present Ordinance.” A report from Sindhupalchok said, local journalists including human rights activists, teachers, lawyers, students and civilians have flayed the Ordinance to amend some Media Acts. They held a protest rally that went round the thoroughfares of the district headquarters and later burnt copies of the Ordinance.

A report from Mahottari said local journalists torched copies of Ordinance in Jaleshwor, the district headquarters of Mahottari, today.

The journalists also organised a protest rally which was supported by agitating political parties and lawyers.

Rabindra Uprety, central council member of FNJ said: “The present Ordinance will affect not only the journalists but also democracy in the nation.”

In Nepalgunj, local journalists organised an-hour-long meeting at Tribhuvan Chowk, which the local administration had declared a prohibited area, and condemned the Ordinance to amend some Media Acts. Addressing the meeting, advocate Shaligram Sapkota said: “The promulgation of the Ordinance has tried to grab the fundamental rights of the people.” Lok Bahadur Shah, secretary of Nepal Bar Association, Nepalgunj Unit, said that the Ordinance is against the present constitution.

A report from Pyuthan said the Pyuthan FNJ unit organised a protest rally today in, Bijuwar, the main commercial area of the district. Journalists with black banners walked through the market demanding revoking of the Ordinance.

Similar protests were held in Banepa, Narayangadh, Rupendehi, Bara, Dhankuta, Taplejung and Dharan demanding immediate revoking of the recently promulgated Ordinance to amend some Media Acts. They also burnt copies of the Ordinance.

Professionals to move Supreme Court

Kathmandu: Professional organisations today said they would jointly file a writ petition at the Supreme Court on Sunday to challenge the Ordinance to amend Media Acts, promulgated on October 9.

A writ drafting team under the leadership of former Law Minister and lawyer Subash Chandra Nembang had almost completed the draft today and would file the case on Sunday on behalf of six professional organisations representing doctors, school teachers, university teachers, lawyers, journalists and engineers.

Nepal Bar Association General Secretary Madhav Banskota and advocates Bhimarjun Acharya and Tikaram Bhattarai are preparing the draft writ with advice from other prominent lawyers and journalists. “We will collectively move the apex court on Sunday,” said president of the Nepal Bar Association Shambhu Thapa, urging all professionals to gather on the premises of the NBA on Sunday to move the apex court.

Meanwhile, representatives of the professional organisations staged a rally against the Ordinance from Baneshwor to Maitighar and collected one rupee each from the 500 participants of the rally to pay the registration fee of the writ.

According to Nemwang, they will challenge the Ordinance and seek nullification of all the provisions. “All its provisions contradict with the 1990 Constitution so we have been preparing to challenge all the provisions of the Ordinance and not any particular article,” he added. —HNS