Jul 14, Kathmandu - The Supreme Court has nullified the government's 'single-window' system, which mandated that all public advertisements from government offices be published and broadcast exclusively through state-owned media outlets.

A joint bench of Justices Sharang Subedi and Nripdhwaj Niraula issued an order to revoke the circular issued by the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers' Office regarding this policy.

With the court's decision, the implementation of the government policy to restrict advertisements to private media has been halted, restoring free access for private broadcasters.

Earlier, on Chaitra 18, the government had issued a circular requiring all government bodies—including the federal government, provincial governments, local units, and public-funded organizations—to publish their notices and advertisements only through state-owned outlets such as Gorkhapatra, Radio Nepal, Nepal Television, and other government media. This directive was issued at the secretariat level by the Prime Minister's Office.

Nepal Media Society challenged this decision on Chaitra 23, arguing that it discriminated against private media, infringed upon press and expression freedoms, and was contrary to the constitutional spirit. Advocate Ananta Raj Luitel filed the petition on behalf of the society.

The petition demanded the court cancel the government circular and prohibit any actions that could suppress or weaken freedom of expression.

Following the Supreme Court's decision to annul the circular, the restriction on private media from distributing government advertisements has effectively been lifted, ensuring a more open and fair media environment.