Fact Check: Misleading Reports Falsely Claim Supreme Court Stopped Customs Duty on Goods Above Rs 100

Kathmandu. In recent days, claims have been circulating on social media and several online news portals stating that the Supreme Court has halted the government’s decision to impose customs duty on goods worth more than Rs 100. Reports claimed that a joint bench of Justices Hari Prasad Phuyal and Tek Prasad Dhungana on Friday issued an interim order in the name of the Government of Nepal and the Ministry of Finance to stop the customs duty.

However, an investigation by TechPana FactCheck found the claim to be misleading. According to the Supreme Court’s order, the court has not interfered in the government’s policy jurisdiction regarding customs revenue collection. Instead, it has only directed customs officials to ensure respectful treatment of citizens in line with the constitutionally guaranteed “right to live with dignity.”

Claim​

Onlinekhabar published a report on May 15, 2026, under the headline “Supreme Court halts decision to impose customs duty on goods over one hundred rupees.” The report stated that the Supreme Court had issued an interim order to stop customs duty on daily consumer goods worth more than Rs 100 brought through Nepal-India border points.

According to the report, a joint bench of Justices Hari Prasad Phuyal and Tek Prasad Dhungana issued the interim order to the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers and the Ministry of Finance, among other bodies, directing them not to impose customs duty on daily consumable goods.

The report also included remarks from lawyer Aakash Mahato, one of the petitioners who filed the writ. However, it did not contain any statement from the Supreme Court side. See the original news and archive link.

 

The same content was later shared three times through the outlet’s Facebook page, receiving over 1,400, 940, and 2,100 reactions respectively. Altogether, the posts were shared more than 340 times. See Original Post 1, Original Post 2, and Original Post 3.

Investigation

During the investigation of the claim that the Supreme Court had blocked customs duty on goods above Rs 100, TechPana FactCheck found similar reports published by several media outlets.

Ratopati published a report titled “Supreme Court blocks decision to charge customs duty on goods over one hundred rupees,” claiming that the bench had blocked the Ministry of Finance’s decision to impose customs on such goods. See the original news and archive link.

Kantipur Television also uploaded a video claiming that “the Supreme Court has stopped the government’s decision to impose customs duty on items over 100 rupees.” Watch the video.

Similarly, Ukeraa.com published a report under the headline “Supreme Court blocks government’s decision to impose customs on household items worth more than 100 rupees,” claiming the court had ordered the government not to immediately implement the provision. See the original news and archive link. (Update: Ukeraa later corrected the report.)  

Baahrakhari.com and Himal Press also carried similar reports claiming that the Supreme Court had stopped the customs duty provision. See the original news and archive news of Baahrakhari.com. See the original news and archive news of Himal Press. 

On May 16, 2026, a Facebook page named “Taja Khabar,” which has more than 3.5 million followers, also posted that the Supreme Court had blocked the decision to impose customs duty on goods worth more than Rs 100. See the original post.

Based on these reports, many social media users also shared opinions and reactions online.

TechPana FactCheck found that none of the mentioned media outlets had contacted the Supreme Court spokesperson or relevant court officials for clarification. It was also observed that the reports did not quote the actual contents of the court order.

Further investigation found a BBC Nepali report published on May 16, 2026, titled “Has the court stopped customs duty on items above 100 rupees?” The report stated that although the Supreme Court had issued an interim order on the writ petition, the court spokesperson clarified that the court had not said anything about stopping customs duty collection.

To further verify the matter, TechPana FactCheck contacted Supreme Court spokesperson Arjun Prasad Koirala. He said, “The Supreme Court has not imposed any restriction on the government’s decision to collect customs revenue. The court has clearly stated in its order that whether or not customs duties are imposed falls under the government’s internal policy jurisdiction. The court has only directed compliance with existing legal provisions requiring respectful treatment of service recipients in customs. It has not interfered with the government’s decision to collect customs duty on goods worth more than Rs 100.”

Spokesperson Koirala also shared the court order with TechPana FactCheck. The order states:

“Generally, the imposition of customs duty is the sovereign right of the state, and under that authority, the Government of Nepal may provide exemptions as provided under Section 13(3) of the Customs Duty Act, 2081. By exercising that authority, the Ministry of Finance published a notice in the Nepal Gazette. The validity, relevance, and propriety of the Rs 100 mentioned therein will be considered during the final hearing of the petition. Therefore, there is no need to say anything further at this stage.”

The order further states that while implementing the notice, customs officials must ensure respectful treatment of citizens bringing medicines, minimal personal-use items, and materials related to social functions, so that their constitutional “right to live with dignity” under Article 16 is not violated.

Accordingly, the Supreme Court issued an interim order under Rule 49(2)(a) of the Supreme Court Rules, 2074, directing the respondent agencies to comply with this requirement.

See the interim order issued by the Supreme Court in the name of the Government of Nepal, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Department of Customs 

In other words, the court did not issue an interim order as requested by the petitioners seeking to halt customs duty collection. Instead, it only directed authorities to ensure dignified treatment of citizens during customs procedures.

On April 23, 2026, lawyers Amitesh Pandit, Aakash Mahato, Suyogya Singh, and Prashant Bikram Shah filed a writ petition against the Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Customs Department. See the writ petition.

Notice published in the Gazette on May 29 2023.

Notice published in the Gazette on May 29 2025.

From these facts, it is clear that the Supreme Court has not stopped the government from collecting customs duty on goods worth more than Rs 100 under the Gazette notice. The court’s interim order was limited to ensuring that citizens bringing medicines, social-use materials, and personal goods are treated respectfully in line with Article 16 of the Constitution.

Therefore, the claim that the Supreme Court has halted the government’s decision to impose customs duty on household goods worth more than Rs 100 is misleading.

Claim

The Supreme Court has halted the government’s decision to impose customs duty on goods costing more than Rs 100. 

Claimants

Onlinekhabar, Ratopati, Kantipur TV, Ukeraa.com, Baahrakhari.com, Himal Press, the Facebook page “Taja Khabar,” and other online platforms and social media users. 

Facts

The Supreme Court order has not interfered with the government’s policy jurisdiction regarding customs revenue collection. The order clearly states that imposing customs duty is the sovereign right of the state. The court has also not directed the government to stop collecting customs duty on goods worth more than Rs 100. Instead, it has instructed customs officials to ensure respectful treatment of citizens in line with the constitutional “right to live with dignity” while dealing with service recipients. The interim order specifically emphasizes dignified treatment for people carrying medicines, minimal personal-use goods, and materials related to social purposes. 

Conclusion

The claim that the Supreme Court has stopped the government’s decision to impose customs duty on goods worth more than Rs 100 is misleading.

 

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