Kantipur Media Group (KMG) has withdrawn from the Nepal Media Society. The decision to end its affiliation with the society was taken on Tuesday by the institution’s Chief Executive Officer, Mahesh Swar.

KMG said it relinquished its membership of the society with effect from April 7, 2026. The group, which had long been associated with the organisation as a founding member, said it had concluded it could no longer continue its membership after expressing disagreement with some recent decisions taken by the Society.

“We have a direct disagreement with the society’s decision to file a lawsuit against the government’s move not to provide government advertisements to private-sector media,” Swar said. “Against our consent, the society proceeded with the legal process. Under such circumstances, it was more appropriate to step away rather than remain within the institution. Therefore, I resigned both institutionally and personally.”

On April 1, the government issued a circular directing that public notices be published or broadcast only through state-owned media. The media society had expressed disagreement with the decision and announced plans to challenge it.

In the same letter, Swar also said he had resigned from his position as vice-chairperson of the society’s executive committee. Kantipur Publications Limited and Kantipur Television Network Limited, both under KMG, were founding members of the society.

“Our institution has recently disagreed with some decisions taken by the Society,” he wrote in the resignation letter. “Given these differences, we find it untenable to remain members of the Nepal Media Society and therefore inform you that we have withdrawn from membership with effect from today.”

KMG Managing Director Sambhav Sirohiya had earlier said the government’s recent decision had effectively ended what he described as a corrupt system, adding that the group does not depend on government advertisements.

“The government just killed private media advertising revenue. That’s a good move,” Sirohiya wrote on X. “It was a Rs3 billion corrupt racket, with 70 percent of the money eaten by middlemen. We didn’t depend on this; we’ll survive. We always do.”