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Kantipur Media Group Managing Director Kailash Sirohiya has demanded action against those involved in creating and publishing fake news by including his name among others.

He wrote to the Press Council Nepal and demanded action after sidhakura.com on Friday published a misleading audio transmitted by including his name.

Who are the designers of such ill-acts? He has also urged the concerned authorities to identify them and take stern action.

“Creating and publishing fake news is also punishable by law. But some people are creating misleading content by misusing the technology to serve some interest groups. Such groups are not only assassinating the character of the honest people, but also trying to defame the government bodies,”

 Sirohiya said in the letter sent to the Press Council.

This act is motivated by the aim to defame the reputation of certain media houses and assassinate the charge of some justices.

Also Read: Press Council directs sidhakura to remove fake content

“It will be too late if we cannot identify and discourage those who are trying to weaken the pillar of the democratic system on time,” Sirohiya said.

Earlier on Friday, Annapurna Media Network Chairman Capt. Rameshwor Thapa had said that sidhakura.com has crossed the ethical and moral boundaries of journalism by trying to discredit the media institutions that have always stood for democracy. It has also besmirched the sanctity of the Supreme Court, he added, demanding legal action against the news portal. AMN management has said that it is in consultation with lawyers to seek legal remedies for the reputational damage through fabricated news.

Annapurna and Kantipur news outlets have been reporting news on Lamichhane’s alleged involvement in the misappropriation of funds from a financial cooperative.

Press Council Nepal has directed sidhakura.com to remove a fake news published on April 26, 2024, claiming that the leadership of Annapurna Media Network and Kantipur Publications were part of a meeting involving sitting and former Supreme Court justices and senior lawyers to dismiss more than 400 corruption cases. The news portal has named Capt. Rameshwar Thapa, chairman of Annapurna Media Network (AMN), and Kailash Sirohiya, chairman of Kantipur Publications, as key members of the so-called high profile secret meeting.

The Press Council has instructed the news portal to take down the news and furnish clarification for publishing such malicious and fabricated content. The made-up report advertised to readers as ‘exclusive’ is aimed at damaging the reputation of the Supreme Court as well as the media houses, the press body said in a statement. It is in serious violation of Journalistic Code of Conduct, it added. The fabricated news has seriously undermined the constitutional court and has made serious allegations against justice Ananda Mohan Bhattarai.

Earlier, on the same day, Thapa filed a case at Press Council Nepal. AMN Chairman Thapa said the so-called news was published with an ill intention to assassinate his character and to defame the media institutions associated with him.

“These are baseless and misleading rumours to manipulate the people and to serve some interest groups," he said. "The questionable content published under the garb of ‘exclusive sting operation’ was created with extreme prejudice and filled with illusionary characters. It was a desperate act to go viral.” 

Thapa further said that sidhakura.com  has crossed the ethical and moral boundaries of journalism by trying to discredit the media institutions that have always stood for democracy. It has also besmirched the sanctity of the Supreme Court, he added, demanding legal action against the news portal. AMN management has said that it is consultation with lawyers to seek legal remedies for the reputational damage through fabricated news.

Annapurna and Kantipur news outlets have been reporting news on Lamichhane’s alleged involvement in the misappropriation of funds from a financial cooperative.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court Justice Ananda Mohan Bhattarai said that he was surprised and shocked to see his name in the news published by sidhakura.

He said that his 43 years of judiciary journey is like an open book.

“The verdict of the case has already proved that I was not involved in the case,” reads a statement issued by Justice Bhattarai on Friday.

“I would also like to make it clear that when the  constitutional bench had issued the verdict on the case, I was not the member of the constitutional bench,” he said.

It is baseless that I had met someone or attended any meeting in the aforementioned issue.

I strongly condemned the news published with an ill intention to spread rumours and manipulate the people.

New York Writers Workshop, an alliance of published authors and professional writers based in New York City is organizing an international literary conference and workshop in Kathmandu starting on May 22 in partnership with White Lotus Book Shop, Lalitpur. The workshop shall be accentuated with Himalayan Literature Festival on May 27 and 28 at Kathmandu Guest House where the workshop writers will be showcasing their literary productions from the workshop- from memoir pieces to poetry and other forms of literature.

As per the Festival director Shreejana Bhandari, over thirty-five international authors and faculties will be participating in the Kathmandu Workshop as well as Himalayan Literature Festival. The first edition of the Himalayan Literature Festival shall encompass panel discussions, poetry readings in various languages, book launches and interactions. Yuyutsu RD Sharma, the curator of Himalayan Literature Festival as well as the Himalayan poet played a pivotal role in persuading the New York Writers Workshop team to organize the new edition of Workshop and Conference in Kathmandu and begin an international literature festival in its true sense.

As per Tim Tomlinson, President of New York Writers Workshop and Bhandari, director of the Himalayan Literature Festival, the festival shall feature authors Lourdes Rodriguez Tomlinson and Dr. Ravi Shankar, faculties such as Jami Proctor Xu, Poet, Essayist, Translator, Julie Krishnan-Williams, International Photographer, Dr. Tony Barnstone, Professor at Whitƫer College, California.

The Workshop and Literature Festival will also feature the Polish poets Son Van and Dariusz Lebioda; Panamanian poet Gorka Lasa; South African poet and performer JahRose Jafta; US poets Ruth Danon, Peter Allenspach and his wife Da Mao; English poet Maria Claire Heath; Greek poet, writer, and educator Vasilis Manousakis; Hindi novelist, Pankaj Bisht; Indian poet and scholar K Satchidanandan; Hong Kong writer and performer Neville Sarony; Brian Hou, photographer, and Jane Houng, musician, writer, philanthropist, from Hong Kong; writer and university professor from NYU Abu Dhabi, Piia Mustamaki; Australian writer Lizzie Packer; as well as aspiring writers Kathleen Butler, Kathryn Kempf, Ann Gordon, Nancy Parish, and Marianne Sciberras.

In addition, over three dozen Nepalese authors including Dwarika Shrestha, Narayan Wagle, Shailendra Sakar, Raj Kumar Baniya, Deepak Sapkota, Manoj Dahal, Sarad Pradhan, Narayan Dhakal, Shyam Rimal, Amar Aakash, Bhuwan Thapaliya, Vijay Gurung, Rajani Mila and others will be joining the festival and some of them shall be interacting on various themes in Nepali literature as the panelists. The festival is dedicated to the great Nepali poet Gopal Prasad Rimal and his contributions to the Nepali literature will be discussed as well as the English translations of his works shall be made public.

The grade 12 examinations have begun across the country at once from 8 am today.

Chairperson of the National Examination Board, Dr Mahashram Sharma said the examinations were being conducted at 1,525 examination centers in all 77 districts.

A total of 1,526 examination centers have been set up by the board, including 1,525 in the country and one in Japan.

The examination has also been conducted by sending question papers through email to the examination center in Japan.

Dr Sharma said, "The grade 12 examinations have started peacefully across the country from 8 am today. We have received information that the students have participated in the examination with enthusiasm.