Kathmandu, 11 June: Police have been deployed to arrest journalist Dil Bhusan Pathak. Plainclothes officers have been stationed near his residence, located close to Amrapali Banquet in Bhatbhateni, Naxal. According to an official from the Cyber Bureau, the deployment was made by the bureau itself, the official informed Ratopati.
An arrest warrant has been issued against Dil Bhusan Pathak by the Kathmandu District Court. According to an official from the Cyber Bureau, a complaint has been filed against him under the Electronic Transactions Act, 2063 (2006).
The complaint stems from a segment aired on Pathak’s YouTube channel “Tough Talk,” where he presented a “Tough Explainer” claiming that Jai Bir Deuba, son of Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba, had purchased the Hilton Hotel located in Naxal. A cybercrime complaint was filed against him in relation to that content.
Hotel Shanker is owned by the Shanker Group. In his report, Pathak alleged that Jai Bir Deuba purchased the hotel in collaboration with the hotel’s Managing Director Sahil Agrawal and businessman Deepak Bhatt.
INNJA has expressed strong objection to the arrest warrant and court order issued against journalist Pathak
The International Network of Nepali Journalists (INNJA) has condemned the issuance of an arrest warrant against senior journalist Dil Bhusan Pathak solely on the basis of a news report, calling it a blatant interference with press freedom.
INNJA President Guna Raj Luitel stated that if there is dissatisfaction with a news report, there are legal procedures available—such as filing a complaint with the constitutional body, the Press Council. However, bypassing this process and filing a complaint with the Nepal Police’s Cyber Bureau, leading to an arrest warrant, is a violation of the constitution, he said. “Using the police to portray a journalist as a criminal, when legal recourse through the Press Council is available, is a disgraceful act for a democratic state,” Luitel remarked.
In a statement issued by INNJA General Secretary Deepak Rijal, it was clearly stated that treating a journalist as a criminal and initiating an arrest process merely for publishing a news report constitutes a serious violation of press freedom and an abuse of power by the state. “Issuing an arrest warrant as if it were a case of treason is a matter of grave concern for the entire journalistic community,” the statement read.
INNJA also expressed strong objection to the recent short-term interim order issued by the Kathmandu District Court regarding news published by Nepalkhabar.com and Bizmandu.com.
Hearing a writ petition filed by Santosh Narayan Shrestha, Chairperson of the Nepal Securities Board, a single bench of Judge Pitambar Sharma ordered that baseless news should not be published and that previously published content be removed. INNJA voiced strong disagreement with this decision.
According to INNJA, if there are objections to content published or broadcast by media outlets, the appropriate and constitutionally valid route to seek redress is through the Press Council Nepal. INNJA stated that the recent court order goes against the spirit of “complete press freedom” as enshrined in the preamble of the Constitution.
While INNJA upholds the principle that court orders must be respected in a democracy, it expressed concern over orders that contradict the constitutional essence of press freedom and international standards. INNJA has urged the relevant authorities to reconsider such decisions.
Furthermore, INNJA has called on all media outlets to publish news that adheres to journalistic ethics and is based on truth and verified facts. It reaffirmed its commitment to raising a strong voice against any form of repression, arrest, or misuse of power directed at journalists.
INNJA stated that such incidents signal a shrinking space for press freedom in the country. It urged all concerned stakeholders to respect the Constitution, the rule of law, and the principles of journalistic practice.
