Kathmandu — A case has been filed against journalist Dilbhushan Pathak in Kathmandu District Court on charges of committing cybercrime.

The District Public Prosecutor’s Office, Kathmandu, filed a case against Pathak on Monday based on a complaint filed with the Cyber ​​Bureau.

In the indictment filed by Assistant District Attorney Purnendra Pandey on behalf of the public prosecutor, Section 47 of the Electronic Transactions Act, 2063, a fine of up to one lakh rupees or imprisonment for five years or both has been sought for publishing illegal material in electronic form. The public prosecutor’s office has also placed Pathak on the fugitive list.

Journalist Pathak had presented a video titled ‘Jaybir Singh Deuba’s money in Hilton’ on his program ‘Tough Talk’ regarding the involvement of Jaybir Singh Deuba in the sale and purchase of Hilton Hotel shares.

Jaybir had earlier filed a complaint with the Cyber ​​Bureau alleging that Pathak had committed character assassination on the same issue. However, the Patan High Court had ordered not to arrest journalist Dilbhushan Pathak. Jaibeer is the son of Nepali Congress President Sher Bahadur Deuba and Foreign Minister Arju Rana Deuba.

Meanwhile, various civil society groups, journalists, and the press and media have opposed this move against Dilbhushan Pathak, saying, “The duty of a journalist is to bring out the truth, but the current situation in Nepal has weakened press freedom.”