Contempt of case filed against sidhakura

The Supreme Court Administration has raised a contempt of court proceedings against the news portal, sidhakura.com, and its YouTube channel.

The court administration has sought legal action against the publisher sidhakura.com, Yuvaraj Kandel, for publishing a fake news report, accusing a sitting Supreme Court justice, various senior advocates, and the publishers of two prominent media houses, among others, of trying to dismiss more than 400 corruption cases. 

The case of contempt will be presented on Monday, said Govind Prasad Ghimire, deputy registrar of the Supreme Court.

Kandel’s news portal has accused Supreme Court Justice Anand Mohan Bhattarai, Chairman of the Annapurna Media Network Rameshwar Thapa, Managing Director of the Kantipur Media Group Kailash Sirohiya, special correspondent of Annapurna Post Surendra Kafle, and senior advocates Hari Upreti and Kishor Vishwakarma, of being part of a clandestine meeting to influence the verdict of more than 400 corruption cases. 

The matter has sparked intense opposition from the media fraternity and judicial community.

 The apex court has sought action against everyone involved in the publication of the content, including Kandel and executive editor Navin Dhungana.

Taking into account the impact on the dignity and prestige of the judiciary, and considering the seriousness of the matter, a full-court meeting of all justices of the Supreme Court was held on Sunday. The case was filed based on the decision of the meeting.

The fake news, which has tarnished the reputation of the senior justice, legal professionals, communication professionals, and journalists, has been criticized by the Nepal Media Society, Nepal Bar Association, and Supreme Bar Association, among others.

On Friday, the Press Council of Nepal had issued strict directives to sidhakura.com to remove misleading content, citing serious violations of the code of conduct and extreme misuse of press freedom. The news portal has not only refused to take down the content, but has defended its position with a special editorial and the interview of the person who carried out the so-called sting operation. 

 

The press regulatory body on Sunday renewed its directive to remove the misleading contents. It has also summoned the editor and presenter of the program to its office at 3 pm Monday to furnish clarification and justify their claims with proper evidence.