Two important court orders in support of press freedom were issued on the same day.

The Patan High Court issued an interim order instructing authorities not to arrest journalist Dilbhusan Pathak on cybercrime charges, while the District Court rejected a request to remove news articles published by Nepalkhabar and Bizmandu.com. These orders have effectively neutralized attempts to control the press based on power and influence.

The Kathmandu District Court, under the bench of Judge Shyabihari Maurya, dismissed an injunction request filed against news portals Nepalkhabar and Bizmandu, which had reported that Santosh Narayan Shrestha, the Chairman of the Nepal Securities Board, allegedly demanded bribes from companies in exchange for IPO approvals. Previously, Judge Pitambar Sharma had issued a short-term interim order to remove the articles, but on Thursday, Judge Maurya overturned that decision and dismissed the case entirely.

Similarly, the Patan High Court issued an interim order preventing the arrest of journalist Dilbhusan Pathak. The police had issued an arrest warrant under cybercrime laws after Pathak uploaded a video on YouTube concerning Jaiveer Deuba, the son of former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

In response to this, Pathak approached the Patan High Court, where Judge Rishi Raj Bhandari initially issued a short-term interim order instructing that he not be arrested except under due legal procedure.

On Thursday, a joint bench of Judges Tank Prasad Gurung and Tikaram Acharya reviewed the matter and extended the interim order. The court found no sufficient grounds to justify his arrest for investigation at this stage.