Community Radio Pledge (pdf) - amarc

activities even as there are less chance of the government activities headingtowards wrong direction as long as there is healthy public opinion (Kashiraj2001). The Constitution of Nepal, 1990 has guaranteed the right to speechand expression, right to press and publication and right to information asthe fundamental rights to every citizen. It is a right thing to do when all thethree rights combined together are identified as freedom of information(Harihar Dahal 2002).In what is an issue of concern, we have no culture of informationdissemination. It is essential to be active to turn the administrative procedureevolved amidst a culture of keeping the activities as secret as favorable to theculture of right to information. There has been some legal exercise followingsimilar activism. The Supreme Court has propounded some landmark principlesrelated to the right to information in the recent past. The Supreme Court has inthe verdict issued Purendra Aryal versus Election Commission (EC) case heldthat the access to right to information should be unhindered and unrestrictedwhen it comes to implement the democratic system. The Supreme Court hasissued eight-point directives to establish the right to information of the citizenwhile passing a verdict on a case Gopal Siwakoti versus Ministry of Finance.The directives issued in the name of His Majesty’s Government are ofimportance until there is a law in place.Eight-point directives1. Applicant can ask for the list of documents available on the concernedissue from the government.2. The applicant can ask to go through the concerned document withinseven days if the government complies with the request.3. The government shall intimate the applicant along with the time, dateand place within three days if the applicant so demands4. Once the applicant finishes going through the documents he can takedown notes or if there is need for it he can have the same copied bymaking a request in front of the stipulated official.5. Just in case there is no word on the issue while giving the copies thesame can be done by charging realistic copying charges before attestingthe same as well6. The government should inform the applicant within three days just incase there is a situation whereby it cannot give full or partial access tothe list nor have the same copied for the applicant7. Just in case an applicant is not satisfied with the way demand has beendenied or with the reason cited for denial the applicant can moveSupreme Court within seven days after intimated about it8. While taking action on the plea received the same shall be as determinedby the governing rule of the Supreme Court50