The Supreme Court on Monday made a pointed reference to the recent massive protests by Generation Z in Nepal while hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking a national policy to curb pornography viewing.
When the Supreme Court took up the case, Chief Justice BR Gavai noted that social media was banned in Nepal and said, “Look what happened there. What was the result? Everyone saw it.”
The Gen Z protest in Nepal, which peaked in September 2025, was a massive youth-led uprising driven by deep-seated anger over corruption, nepotism and the government’s failure to address economic hardship and youth unemployment. The immediate cause, however, was a sweeping government ban on 26 major social media platforms.
The protests quickly turned violent in Kathmandu and other cities, sparking a political crisis that resulted in the resignation of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and the formation of an interim government after more than 70 people were killed in clashes.
The Supreme Court appeared to suggest that Nepal’s experience is a stark reminder of how restrictions on digital access can lead to major political and social unrest.
The PIL seeks directions to formulate national policy and action plan to curb viewing of pornography, especially among minors, and ban viewing of pornographic material in any form in public places.
The petition claims that the government has the power under existing laws to block public access to information through computer resources, but has failed to effectively tackle the problem of pornography consumption.
The court adjourned the hearing and ordered the matter to be listed after four weeks. The court will next hear the plea in December, although the term of outgoing Chief Justice Gavai will retire on November 23.
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