Kathmandu Oct 16 - Speaker of the dissolved House of Representatives, Taranath Ranabhat, on Saturday said that the Supreme Court can revoke the recently promulgated media ordinance if it contravenes with the constitution.
Talking to journalists at Tribhuvan International Airport before departing for Geneva to attend the 113th conference of World Inter-Parliamentary Association, Ranabhat said, "Since the present constitution has guaranteed press freedom and rights of the fourth estate, the apex court can annul any ordinance that contradicts with the constitution and prevailing laws."
Reminding the past precedents of Supreme Court on media he said, "If the recent ordinance is against the past precedents, it can be revoked."
However, Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Niranjan Thapa, who is accompanying the Speaker to the conference, argued that the ordinance was not against the rights of journalists, freedom of expression and press freedom." Rather it is brought to discipline the press," he said. He also informed that the government is working to develop a mechanism to monitor the FM radios.
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