Kantipur team that reached the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday to record statements on a contempt of court case against the publications returned following cancellations of all court proceedings after the demise of ex-SC Justice Ramnagina Singh.

The SC will continue recording statemetns from Kantipur members who have been made defendants in the contempt of court case.

Chairman and Managing Director Kailash Sirohiya, Kantipur Editor-in-Chief Sudheer Sharma and reporter Krishna Gyawali had reached the apex court to record their statements on case against the Kantipur daily at 10 am today. The team returned after registering court attendance today.

The apex court on Sunday heard from Kantipur Publications Director Swastika Sirohiya. A division bench of Justices Bam Kumar Shrestha and Damber Bahadur Shahi has been hearing the case against Kantipur.

The SC on Wednesday had issued a subpoena to Kantipur in the contempt of court case, ordering four Kantipur members to appear at the court in person within 72 hours of receiving the summon.

A single bench of Chief Justice Gopal Prasad Parajuli issued the interim order on February 25, directing the Press Council Nepal to probe the news reports published by Kantipur that highlighted discrepancies in his birth date as shown by his official documents.

National and international journalists’ bodies have condemned the move calling it a clear case of ‘prior censorship’ and against the principle of natural justice which demands that the chief justice stay away from the case involving himself.