By Our Reporter
Arzu Rana, the wife of Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and a powerful minister of the present Cabinet led by KP Sharma Oli, has used her might to sue journalist Dil Bhushan Pathak under the Electronic Transactions Act.
She filed a complaint against Pathak for airing news which claimed that Deuba’s son Jayabir Deuba had purchased the newly opened Hilton Hotel of Kathmandu.
When the police issued a warrant against journalist Pathak, journalists and others opposed the move. A large number of journalists issued statements against the action against Pathak terming it as a move against the provision of freedom of expression enshrined in the constitution.
Although police did not arrest him stating that he was on the run, the Patan High Court on Monday issued an interim order not to arrest Pathak. But after the court order, police sent a letter to Pathak asking him to surrender.
The case drew sharp criticism from the media fraternity as well as opposition political parties and the public. It was also said that Pathak’s YouTube which aired the news on junior Deuba was not registered with the Press Council of Nepal, the body that looks into issues related to media, and reached the police.
When Pathak’s case is yet to be finalised, Rama Basnet was also arrested for scolding PM Oli in her TikTok videos on Sunday.
The latest acts of government to arrest and sue individuals and journalists for expressing views against the powerful persons in government have also drawn criticism from the National Human Rights Commission. On Sunday, the human rights watch body issued a statement stating that its attention was drawn to the issue of harassing journalists and others.
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