Kathmandu - The Supreme Court has issued an interim order directing the government not to proceed with the selection process for members of the Board of Directors of Nepal Airlines Corporation.

A joint bench of Justices Kumar Regmi and Shrikant Poudel issued the interim order, instructing the selection committee formed by the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation and Nepal Airlines Corporation to suspend further work related to the appointment process.

The order was issued in response to a writ petition filed by Upendra Bahadur Karki, who alleged that the selection process was unfair despite candidates being chosen through open competition. Karki named the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, the Government of Nepal, and the selection committee as defendants in the case.

Earlier, on June 21, a bench led by Justice Meghraj Pokharel had issued a show-cause order and directed discussions on whether an interim order should be granted.

The government had opened applications for the appointment of Nepal Airlines board members through a competitive process. It planned to select five directors from among the applicants and appoint the Chief Executive Officer from the same board.