KATHMANDU: The Patan High Court paved way for the Press Council Nepal to regulate and take action against the online portals spreading unverified and misleading news and information.

A division bench of judges Khadananda Tiwari and Krishnaram Koirala on Wednesday ruled in favour of the media content regulatory body that no immediate order was required interfering with the Council’s functions.

The decision came in response to a writ petition filed by Diyo Media running a news portal, which had sought interim order against Council’s decision.
The ruling has affirmed the Council’s authority in the matter, thereby enabling it to bring erring media to book.

The ruling has a bearing of the Council decision to blacklist various online portals for spreading misleading and false information as well as failing to comply with the regulatory guidelines.

Advocates Anantaraj Luintel, Bikas Bhattarai, Leeladhar Upadhyay, Jhabindra Bhusal, Kirtinath Sharma, Bishal Thapa and Pratibha Uprety represented the Council during the hearing on the writ.

Earlier, the Patan High Court had ruled in favour of Council, upholding its decision to blacklist an online news portal-www.nepalaaja.com- after it found the delisting legitimate.