Jana Aastha Files Complaint Against Himesh Pant at Cyber Bureau

Dragon Media Correspondent

Aastha Prakashan Pvt. Ltd., publisher of Jana Aastha Weekly, has filed a complaint with the Nepal Police Cyber Bureau against comedian and Rastriya Swatantra Party central committee member Himesh Pant, seeking action under Section 47 of the Electronic Transactions Act, 2006.

The complaint, submitted on Friday, accuses Pant of publishing insulting and defamatory Facebook content targeting Kishor Shrestha, Jana Aastha’s chairperson and editor. Screenshots of the posts and a copy of the court ruling related to the disputed report were submitted with the complaint.

The dispute’s background is linked to a report Jana Aastha published on Asoj 26 about allegations involving RSP lawmaker Khagendra Sunar. The report included audio recordings said to be of a conversation between Sunar and a woman, along with details of financial transactions. Sunar has questioned the authenticity of the audio, claiming it was created to defame him.

Pant then accused Jana Aastha of character assassination and blackmail in Facebook posts. He also said he would seek legal action against Jana Aastha and Shrestha.

The dispute escalated after Jana Aastha published a report on Asoj 29 about a land dispute in Thakre Rural Municipality, Dhading, involving Pant’s family. The report said Tilak Prasad Bidari had bought around four and a half ropani of land from Himesh Pant’s father, Subba Pant, but had been unable to use it. It also included statements from Bidari’s son, Prakash, and Pant’s uncle, Krishna Prasad Pant. Krishna Prasad said he had not occupied the land, but that his elder brother had.

The Dhading District Court ruling cited in the report was issued on Magh 5, 2072, by a bench presided over by District Judge Ishwar Raj Acharya. In a case seeking removal of encroachment and restoration of possession, the court ruled that Tilak Prasad Bidari was entitled to possess the land under plot numbers 522 and 521. The judgment lists plot 522 as measuring 4 ropani, 1 paisa and 1 daam, and plot 521 as 8 ana, 2 paisa and 2 daam.

The complaint alleges that Pant’s Facebook posts insulted Shrestha personally and could spread hatred. Pant had earlier described Jana Aastha’s reporting as character assassination and blackmail. The Cyber Bureau will determine the legal outcome after investigating the complaint and examining the evidence.