7 April 2021, Kathmandu
The Supreme Court (SC) has issued an interim order not to stop the New Year Bisket Jatra to be held in Bhaktapur.
Hearing a writ petition filed by Raj Kumar Suwal, a local resident and advocate of Bhaktapur, a single bench of Justice Purushottam Bhandari ordered the District Administration Office, Bhaktapur not to implement the decision to stop the festival.
The COVID-19 Crisis Management Operations Center, chaired by Chief District Officer Prem Prasad Bhattarai, had decided not to allow the procession amid the coronavirus spread.
Hearing the writ petition filed against the decision on Tuesday, the apex court said that the people can go ahead with the cultural procession. Locals and guthiyars of Bhaktapur were outraged over the administration’s decision to stop the procession.
The Supreme Court has also asked the authorities to submit the reasons behind stopping the procession.
