Kathmandu, January 8
Press Council Nepal, the country’s regulatory body for media industry, has convinced the Metropolitan Police Range in Kathmandu that police do not have any authority to seek information about news sources from journalists.
After police summoned editors of some online news portals to quiz about the sources of news they carried about performance appraisal papers of then DIG Nawaraj Silwal, who now has been accused of forgery, the Council summoned the Range chief SSP Rabindra Dhanuk today to inform that police should not interrogate journalists over what they publish and it is the jurisdiction of Council.
The Council also told police that if they need any information about news contents, the law enforcers should request the Council, according to the Council’s Acting Chairman Kishor Shrestha.
Though the police officials initially told the meeting that they were authorised to seek sources of information by an order from the Patan High Court, they were later convinced, according to Shrestha.
Director General at the Department of Information Bir Bahadur Rai and Nepal Bar Association Treasurer Gyan Ratna Shakya were also present at the meeting.
