KATHAMNDU, March 22: The Ministry of Home Affairs has withdrawn its decision to increase media surveillance. In a circular issued to all District Administration Offices(DAOs) across the country, the Home Ministry had delegated authority to Chief District Officers(CDOs) to regulate and take action against online news portals, social media platforms including Facebook and X and print media if they are found disseminating information that pose challenge to law and order situation.
The decision taken by Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Rabi Lamichhane had drawn widespread criticism as various stakeholders including Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) called the move an attempt to practice ‘controlled governance’.
In a notice issued on Thursday evening, the Home Ministry has said that the decision was withdrawn keeping in view the concerns raised by stakeholders.
Comedy of errors
Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Lamichhane was accused of commencing the practice of controlled governance by sending a circular to 77 district administration offices with the intention of curtailing people's freedom of expression, challenging human rights and fundamental rights, and prohibiting the rights granted by the constitution.
The intention to block online news portals, Facebook, Twitter, and other social networks, as well as print media, is clearly visible in the circular issued by the Home Ministry, led by Lamichhane two days ago.
The circular instructs government officials to take action against those propagating defamatory, baseless, misleading messages through online news portals, Facebook, Twitter, and other social media, as well as print media, inciting racial and cultural disharmony, posting content that harms national unity and integrity, sovereignty, and encroaching on the privacy of individuals. The home ministry has instructed the district administration offices to set up a desk by assigning one official each at the district police office and the district administration office for this very purpose. The circular states, “Those involved in this type of work will be prosecuted according to the prevailing laws and their identities will be made public.”
The FNJ protested against the move of Home Minister Lamichhane. FNJ President Bipul Pokharel said that the government is attempting to run a governance system contrary to the constitution and is trying to restrict people's freedom of expression.
Stating that the Press Council Nepal is the body that regulates news published in the media if it is misleading, he said that the work of the Home Ministry or the police, and the DAO to monitor such contents, is highly reprehensible. “This is not the responsibility of the Ministry of Home Affairs, it belongs to the Press Council Nepal,” he said.
The Press Council Nepal takes action by monitoring news in online news portals and print media. "We request the Home Ministry to immediately withdraw the recently issued circular,” said Pokharel.
Secretary at the Home Ministry, Ek Narayan Aryal, issued the 21-point instructions to the chief district officers of all 77 districts as per the decision taken by Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister Lamichhane.
The ministry also emphasized that the chief district officer should play an active role as a representative of the government in matters of peace and security, service delivery, good governance, regulation, coordination, and facilitation, to increase citizens' trust in the government.
