The Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday issued an order directing the Department of Archaeology to conduct the study of historic Bagh Durbar again and submit the report to the court.

Conducting a hearing on the appeal by the Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) against the earlier directive to not demolish the historic building that was severely damaged in the earthquake of April 25, 2015, a joint bench of Chief Justice Om Prakash Mishra and Justice Anil Kumar Sinha issued the order to carry out the study by deploying a team of independent experts.

Heritage conservation activists had moved the apex court after the metropolis started preparations to demolish the building despite criticism from various quarters. Earlier on October 3, a single bench of SC Justice Deepak Raj Joshee had issued an order in the name of defendants to not demolish the Rana-era palace which has historical and archeological importance.

Senior advocates Prakash Mani Sharma and Rama Panta Kharel, Sanjay Adhikari, student at the Kathmandu Law Campus, coordinator of Heritage Conservation Campaign Struggle Committee Ganapati Lal Shrestha had filed a writ seeking an interim order to immediately stop KMC from demolishing Bagh Durbar.

In the writ, the petitioners have also demanded an apex court order to protect all the historic palaces of different eras, including Lichhavi, Malla, Rana and Shah.

KMC Mayor Bidya Sundar Shakya, Office of Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, Home Ministry, Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, Ministry of Forest and Environment, National Human Rights Commission, National Reconstruction Authority, Archeological Department, Office of Kathmandu Metropolitan City, KMC Ward 11 and Office of the Attorney General have been made defendants in the case.