10 writ filed against ban on TikTok; SC schedules preliminary hearing on Nov 20

Kathmandu / Nov 17: The Supreme Court (SC) is to preside over a preliminary hearing on November 20 in relation to the writ petitions filed against the government decision to ban TikTok, a popular social networking site.

About 10 writ petitions have been filed at the SC against the government’s decision to ban TikTok in Nepal.

On the first day of the opening of the courts after the Tihar holidays, legal practitioners submitted writ petitions challenging the government’s decision.

After registering the 10 writ petitions, the SC has scheduled the preliminary hearing for November 20 (Monday).

Spokesperson for the SC, Bhadrakali Pokharel, said, “About 10 writ petitions have been registered and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for November 20.”

He said that all registered writ petitions will be heard on Monday, a day after the Chhath festival holiday.

Senior advocate Dinesh Tripathi, advocate Swagat Nepal and others have filed separate writ petitions against the TikTok ban.

They have demanded that the government’s decision should be annulled on grounds that the ban on TikTok has violated citizens’ freedom of opinion and expression. The petitioners argued that the government, which was in the process of bringing a regulation to manage social networking sites, decided to ban TikTok abruptly, and that there was no legal basis for taking such a decision.

The law practitioners who submitted the writ petitions have also demanded an interim order that the implementation of the government’s decision should be annulled immediately.

On the day of the preliminary hearing, the case will be heard by a single bench of justice.

A Cabinet meeting on November 13 decided to ban the social networking app TikTok in Nepal. The government decided to ban TikTok citing disruption in family relations and social harmony.

Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal said that this decision was taken by the ruling party and the main opposition party standing together to control the tendency to spread disharmony, distortion and anarchy in society.

He said that the government banned TikTok after studying the decisions taken by some of the most democratic and developed countries regarding TikTok.

Leaders of different political parties and stakeholders have expressed mixed reactions to the government’s decision to ban TikTok.