KATHMANDU, Jan 2: Chief Justice (CJ) Gopal Parajuli urged the media on Monday to refrain from commenting on sub-judice cases pending at courts.
Stating that the press has been unnecessarily discussing sub-judice cases which could ultimately affect the justice system, Chief Justice Parajuli called upon the media to respect judicial dignity and maintain its decorum.
Inaugurating an online complaint filing system at Nepal Press Council, Parajuli stated that unnecessarily discussing sub-judice cases has demoralized judges and the courts.
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He, however, urged the media to be factual and truthful while reporting judicial matters. “A court is a court and it will remain a court in the time to come. All sub-judice cases must be settled by courts. There should not be any room to attack and guide the court by the mob and mass of people because courts function on the basis of the law and the established procedures,” Parajuli added.
Emphasizing that all matters pending at courts must be settled through the judicial process, he said that it's not a good practice to pressurize the judiciary from the street.
Chief Justice Parajuli also called on journalists to work with positive thinking to contribute to society. “There is paper, pen and computer before you. If you take my suggestion, you can begin spreading positive messages immediately from here. I would like to motivate you for that,” he added.
Saying that the judiciary has always been above partisan interests and disputes, Chief Justice Parajli emphasized that the judiciary is impartial. “The judiciary always works for settling disputes but it must always be above such disputes,” he added.
Kishor Shrestha, acting chairman of Nepal Press Council underlined that the media is being used as a weapon to attack powerful people and now the Chief Justice has become a victim of the powerful press. Govinda Acharya, chairman of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, said that the entire media is being scandalized due to the actions of a few media houses.
