KATHMANDU: In a significant ruling for press freedom, Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned the government’s controversial decision to deny state-funded advertisements and notices to private media outlets.

A joint bench of Justices Sharanga Subedi and Nripadhwaj Niraula invalidated the circular issued by the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers in April 2026, which had restricted all federal, provincial and local government bodies to publishing advertisements exclusively in state-owned media like Gorkhapatra, Radio Nepal, and Nepal Television.

The apex court’s verdict came in response to a lawsuit filed by the Nepal Media Society through Advocate Ananta Raj Luitel.

With this ruling, the path has officially reopened for private media houses to receive government advertisements as before.