Two Nepali journalists were summoned by the Nepal Supreme Court on Tuesday and were asked by the apex court administrator to disclose their sources for a story they broke related to an alleged meeting between Nepal Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana. 

Ranjan Kuikel, editor of imagekhabar.com, and Narayan Amrit, nepalsamaya.com, had done stories, citing their respective sources, about an alleged meeting that took place between the country’s prime minister and the chief justice. However, the apex court issued a statement later and denied the allegation. 

Thereafter, the two journalists received a summon from the Supreme Court administration for a meeting on Tuesday. During the meeting, reports claimed that they were pressured by the SC administration to reveal their sources about the stories. 

At a time when the country’s parliament is dissolved and there are already over 30 petitions--challenging the dissolution--pending before the apex court, the meeting between the chief justice and the prime minister, if it really happened, cast a shadow on the impartiality of the judiciary in the country. 

Meanwhile, Amnesty International has issued a statement on the incident asking authorities to respect the constitutionally guaranteed right to press freedom. 

“Nepal's authorities must respect the right to press freedom as enshrined in the constitution and refrain from intimidating and harassing journalists for merely publishing news,” the statement reads. 

It added, “If disagreements ensue over media content, they must follow due processes and not resort to high-handed approaches that may lead to a climate of fear and insecurity among journalists."

Amnesty also asked the authorities to ensure an environment in which journalists can carry out their work freely without any fear of reprisal.