The Supreme Court on Monday decided to continue its interim order against the government’s decision to ban public protests at key locations, including the Maitighar Mandala, in the Capital. A division bench of Justices Om Prakash Mishra and Kedar Prasad Chalise upheld the July 6 order. A single bench of Justice Ishwor Khatiwada had served a show-cause notice to the government on its decision to ban peaceful public rallies while staying the ban. Monday’s order has rendered the protest ban ineffective until final verdict. The court stated that the prohibitory order of the District Administration Office goes against the Local Administration Act. “The Local Administration Act says that such an order shall not be for more than two months at one time,” the bench stated. “Since the district administration’s order is against the Act, the court has decided to continue the interim order.” Senior Advocate Dinesh Tripathi had filed a writ petition on July 5 seeking to stay the government’s decision to ban public rallies at places in the Capital. Tripathi argued that restricting people from staging peaceful protests violates their freedom of expression. Police had detained many protesters who defied the prohibition. Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa on June 29 declared Maitighar Mandala as a protest-free zone effective from July 15, citing the Kathmandu District Security Committee’s April 13 decision. माइतीघर मण्डला लगायत राजधानीका विभिन्न स्थानमा विरोध प्रदर्शन गर्न नपाउने सरकारले गरेको निर्णय कार्यान्वयन नगर्नु भनि सर्वोच्च अदालतले अन्तरिम आदेश जारी गरेको छ। सर्वोच्च अदालतका न्यायाधीशद्वय ओम प्रकाश मिश्र र केदार प्रसाद चालिसेको संयुक्त इजलाशले सोमबारको सुनुवाई पछि यस्तो आदेश जारी गरेको हो। अन्तरिम आदेश दिने नदिने भन्ने सम्वन्धनमा छलफल गर्न निर्णय सहित सरकारलाई अदालतमा उपस्थित गराइएको थियो। सो रिटका पक्षमा वहस गर्दै वरिष्ठ अधिवक्ता शम्भु थापा, वद्री बहादुर कार्की, हरिहर दाहाल, दिनेश त्रिपाठी र अधिवक्ताहरु अनन्तराज लुईटेल र इन्द्र अर्यालले समेत संविधानले सुनिश्चित गरेको भेला हुन पाउने अधिकारलाई सरकारको निर्णयले संकुचन गरेको दावी गर्दै अदालतको हस्तक्षेपको माग गरेका थिए। सरकारले माइतीघर मण्डला, प्रधानमन्त्री, प्रधानन्यायाधीश निवास बालुवाटार, राष्ट्रपति निवास लगायतका महत्वपूर्ण ठाउँमा विरोध प्रदर्शन गर्न नपाउने आदेश गरेको थियो। पेप्सीकोला, सानागाउँ, स्वयम्भु लगायत सरकारको ध्यान नजाने ठाउँमा विरोध प्रदर्शन गर्ने स्थान तोकिएको थियो।