The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday issued an interim order directing the government to not implement its recent decision to ban demonstrations and protest rallies at Maitighar Mandala until July 13.

Responding to a writ filed at the apex court on Thursday, a single bench of SC Justice Ishwor Prasad Khatiwada issued the stay order and summoned both the defendant and petitioner to appear before the court for discussion on July 13.

Senior Advocate Dinesh Tripathi has filed the writ at the court arguing that the ban has violated the people’s fundamental right to peaceful protests and freedom of expression guaranteed by the constitution. The writ has made the Office of the Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers, the Home Ministry and the District Administration Office, Kathmandu.

Organising a press meet last week, Home Minister Ram Bahadur Thapa had said Maitighar Mandala would be banned for protests effective form July 15, as decided by the Kathmandu District Security Committee on April 13.

Security personnel, however, started arresting the people staging protests at Mandala area before the said date.

In the petition, Tripathi argued that it was unconstitutional, ill-intentioned and against international human rights laws to restrict popular sites for demonstrations and to designate other places as protest venues.