Kathmandu: The meeting of the Development and Technology Committee under the House of Representatives on Sunday endorsed the Information Technology Bill with a majority.
Out of 131 clauses in the Bill, amendments to 36 have been made, and eight points on which participating lawmakers put different views, have been under the amendment process, said the Committee’s President Kalyani Kumari Khadka.
Formulation of the Bill was in line with the constitution and democratic norms, said Minister for Communications and Information Technology, Gokul Prasad Baskota.
“The law is for all. It does not belong to only the ruling party. There are rumours making the rounds that the Bill has contents that restrict rights of citizens. One can criticise the government,” he said.
In the meeting, lawmakers from the ruling Nepal Communist Party called for the passage of the Bill with amendments to its 36 points.
Lawmakers of main opposition Nepali Congress demanded removal of clause 88 and clause 91 to 94, which they claimed are against freedom of speech and the spirit of the constitution.
He blamed that the bill, brought against sentiments of constitution, was against democratic norms and values.
Likewise, lawmaker Rangamati Shahi objected the bill, saying the bill does not allow speak about government’s wrong doings while Top Bahadur Rayamajhi said that the bill was brought to make information technology systematic but news and opinion should be respected.
Similarly, Ganesh Kumar Pahadi said that many people became victim in lack of another law to make science and technology issues systematic.
Lawmakers– Yagyaraj Sunuwar, Damodar Bhandari, Kedar Sigdel, Asha Kumari BK and Lilanath Shrestha stressed the need of approving the bill.
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