The Nepal Press Council, the Nepal Bar Association and other concerned stakeholders have raised concerns about a propaganda content produced and circulated by “Sidha Kura.”

On Friday, a video was uploaded on the YouTube channel of the same name. “Sidha Kura” earlier used to be broadcast on the now-defunct Galaxy Television, which was established with the money misappropriated from various cooperatives.

The video was said to be an alleged expose of various members of the media and judiciary.

The content includes an audio clip of the “sting operation” said to be conducted by an officer of the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority during a meeting allegedly held at the Annapurna Post’s seventh-floor corporate office in Gairidhara, Kathmandu.

Advocate Kishor Bista, Justice Ananda Mohan Bhattarai, journalist Surendra Kafle, senior advocate Hari Upreti, Kantipur Media Group chairman Kailash Sirohiya, and Annapurna Media Network chairman Rameshwar Thapa are said to be present in the discussion.

The Supreme Court on April 21, 2021, barred the CIAA from conducting sting operations, saying such an act is against the constitutional and legal provisions and the principle of criminal justice.

The audio material was produced before the court’s decision, the programme claims.

In response to the circulation of the content, stakeholders and concerned authorities have called for its immediate removal and demanded legal action against the producers.

Supreme Court Justice Bhattarai expressed his objection to the propaganda content motivated by the intent of spreading disbelief not only against the concerned media houses and individuals but also against professional journalism and the judiciary as a whole.

Following a meeting at the apex court on Friday, Bhattarai issued a statement expressing his concern over the content that had been produced with the ‘malicious intent of misleading the public.’

“I am shocked and surprised that my name has been linked with the news published by ‘Sidha Kura.’ My career, spanning almost 43 years, is an open book,” Bhattarai said.

I had no involvement in the case I have been accused of influencing. Further, during the period when the decision on the case was taken, I was rarely a part of the constitutional bench, Bhattarai clarified.

Denying the accusation levelled against him, advocate Bista said that the ‘fake audio’ had been produced with criminal intent.

“One of the two voices heard in the recording has been attributed to me, but I am not the one speaking. Nor have I ever been to the Annapurna Post’s office,” Bista said. “Also, the tone of the conversation, the noise of children playing in the background, and the comments being made on the case being discussed not only prove that the audio is a complete hoax but also suggest that the hosts of the show created this conspiracy on their own or on the direction of someone else.”

Citing that the content was being disseminated with the motive of character assassination of those accused of being involved, the Press Council has directed that the content be removed and clarification be furnished within 24 hours.

“Since it is a serious violation of the code of ethics and an abuse of the freedom of the press to broadcast such news material without any factual basis, and to harm the dignity and reputation of the individuals and the organisations, the content, including the audio, should be removed and the council should be informed within 24 hours,” reads the council’s statement.

The Nepal Bar Association has also sought an investigation into the matter stating that the act undermined democracy with its planned attack on the judiciary, independent practice of law, and the media.

“Such actions cannot be considered reasonable. Therefore, the Nepal Bar Association requests the concerned authorities to take action against those involved in the production of such misleading material,” said Senior advocate Gopal Krishna Ghimire, also the president of the bar association.

Likewise, the Kantipur Media Group has said that the individuals involved in the production of such materials were motivated to gain the crowd’s support by spreading misleading content, which is against professional journalism and judicial independence.

Filing a complaint at the press council, KMG chairman Sirohiya requested that those involved in attempting to undermine the pillars of the democratic system be investigated and held accountable for their actions.

“‘Fake news’ has been produced with the malicious intent of discouraging the vigilance of the Kantipur Media Group in favour of democracy and against corruption and irregularities. However, the KMG will not be deterred by such tactics,” Sirohiya said.

“It is clear that this staged act with fictitious characters is motivated by the intent of spreading distrust not only of certain media houses and individuals but of professional journalism and the judiciary as a whole,” he added.

Captain Rameshwar Thapa, chairman of the Annapurna Media Network, also filed a complaint at the Press Council on Friday, stating that the content was biased and that a fake story had been created with the intention of creating a ‘viral’ product.

Annapurna Daily’s Surendra Kafle, who has also been named in the “audio leak”, also called for action against those involved in the production of the content, stating that this was a character assassination attempt.

“I would like to clarify that the voice in the clip is not mine. I also request the Press Council to conduct a technical investigation of this matter and bring the truth to light.”