SC Annuls Government’s Decision to Stop Public Advertisements to Private Media Outlets

The Supreme Court has ruled that the government’s circular to stop public advertisements to private media outlets be annulled.

A division bench of Supreme Court Justices Sharanga Subedi and Nripadhwaj Niraula has made the ruling in response to a petition filed on April 1, 2026 demanding annulment of the government’s decision not to give public advertisements to private media outlets. According to Supreme Court Spokesperson Arjun Prasad Koirala, the full text of the verdict is due.

Advocate Anantaraj Luintel, on behalf of the Media Society, had filed a writ petition in the Supreme Court stating that the government’s decision to give government advertisements only to government media outlets was illegal.

The government had decided to publish and broadcast government advertisements only through government media outlets and issued a circular from the Prime Minister’s Office. (RSS)