The Kathmandu District Court has dismissed the petition filed by chairman of the Securities Board of Nepal (SEBON), Santosh Narayan Shrestha.
Issuing the decision on Thursday, Judge Shyam Bihari Maurya ruled that the petition filed by Shrestha has been dismissed.
With the decision, the news reports published by Nepalkhabar and Bizmandu about SEBON Chairman Shrestha do not need to be taken down.
After the advocates for the defendants finished their pleadings, the advocates representing the plaintiff—Santosh Narayan Shrestha, chairman of the Securities Board of Nepal (SEBON)—presented their counterarguments in the court today.
Shrestha had filed the petition at the district court against Nepalkhabar and Bizmandu demanding removal of their news reports which claimed that he took bribes through middlemen.
On June 10, after hearing on the petition, a single bench of Judge Pitambar Sharma, had issued a short-term interim order requiring Nepalkhabar to delete news content related to Chairman Shrestha and not to publish such news about him any more.
The court also summoned Nepalkhabar and Bizmandu on Wednesday for a written response.
After the pleading by advocates on behalf of Nepalkhabar and Bizmandu did not complete on Wednesday, it continued even today in the bench's of Judge Shyam Bihari Maurya.
Shrestha in the petition demanded that a short-term interim order be continued while Nepalkhabar and Bizmandu demanded that the petition be quashed arguing that media outlets be allowed to raise questions on individuals holding public positions.
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