The Supreme Court has issued an interim order directing the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) to not demolish historic Bag Durbar that suffered damage in the earthquake of April 25, 2015.

Heritage conservationists had filed a writ petition at the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday against the KMC’s decision to demolish the historic building despite criticisms from several quarters.

A single bench of Justice Deepak Raj Joshee on Wednesday issued the order.

Senior advocates Prakash Mani Sharma and Rama PantaKharel and Sanjay Adhikari, student at the Kathmandu Law Campus, coordinator of Heritage Conservation Campaign Struggle Committee Coordinator GanapatiLalShrestha had filed a writ seeking an interim order to immediately stop the KMC’s preparation to demolish Bag Durbar.

In the writ, the petitioners have also demanded the apex court to issue order to protect all the historic palaces of different era including Lichhavi, Malla, Rana and Shah.

KMC Mayor BidyaSundarShakya, Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Home Ministry, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Ministry of Forest and Environment, National Human Rights Commission, National Reconstruction Authority, Archeological Department, Office of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, KMC ward no 11 and Office of the Attorney General have been made defendants in the case.

The court order has stated that the issues mentioned in the writ are of serious nature.

The court issued the interim order in the name of defendants to not carry out any kind of construction works and protect the Durbar, which has historical and archeological importance, in its existing form until the final verdict.

Senior advocates Prakash Mani Sharma, Dinesh Tripathi, RanaPantaKharel and applicant Sanjay Adhikari had pleaded the case on behalf of petitioner.

The petitioners have demanded that the Rana era durbar should be protected as it is the public property and should be handed over from one generation to another.

Experts have been arguing that the permission letter provided by the Archeological Department to the Kathmandu Metropolitan City to demolish the Durbar, which can be preserved by retrofitting, is malicious.

They have been expressing dissatisfactions over the permission given by the authority that has the responsibility of protecting the heritage with a long historical importance.

“Archeological Department itself had sent a letter to demolish Bag Durbar,” Archeologist Bhim Nepal said, adding, “Why did it give permission to demolish the Durbar? The department’s letter shows its bad intention. Bag Durbar should not be demolished. It should be saved under any circumstances.”