Reporters Without Borders on Tuesday welcomed a Supreme Court ruling on 18 May suppressing article 8 of the 1992 National Broadcasting Act and article 15 (1) of the 1991 Publications and Newspapers Act as incompatible with a constitutional provision guaranteeing press freedom.

The first article gave the government the right to cancel the licenses of radio and TV stations that broadcast news. The second allowed the government to restrict or censor coverage of sensitive issues.

“The court’s decision is a step forward for freedom of expression in Nepal,” Reporters Without Borders said.

Acting upon a writ petition filed by Freedom Forum, an NGO, a special bench of Justices comprising Anup Raj Sharma, Balaram KC and Tahir Ali Ansari, gave the verdict.

The international media watchdog also urged the parliamentarians to press on with their plans to decriminalize press offences.

The Supreme Court issued its ruling in response to a petition by the Freedom Forum, an NGO.