Nepal Supreme Court stays government order banning PUBG Mobile

PUBG Mobile might be one of the fastest growing mobile games in the world. However, the huge popularity of the game has made it a centre of much controversy with parents from countries like UAE, India, Indonesia and Nepal all calling for nation-wide bans on the game.

The government of Nepal had banned the popular mobile Battle Royale game based on a Kathmandu District Court order but now the country's Supreme Court has revoked the ban.

Following the ban, Nepal Telecommunications Authority had issued an order directing Nepalese service providers to block all Internet traffic originating from PUBG servers.

However, less than two weeks after the ban, Nepal’s Supreme Court recently stayed the government’s order banning the game. The stay order came after few lawyers approached the country’s Apex Court challenging the initial order to ban the game. Justice Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada observed that Players Unknown Battle Ground Mobile was no more than a game used as a medium of entertainment.

A statement released by Nepal’s Apex Court read: "Since press freedom and freedom of expression are guaranteed by the constitution, it is necessary to prove that such bans are just, fair and reasonable, and the actions of the authorities concerned are wise and logical... if the ban was allowed to remain in effect, it could adversely impact people's rights to freedom."

PUBG Mobile is also facing severe backlash from Indian authorities with Gujarat having imposed restrictions against the game. But unlike Nepal’s Supreme Court, the Gujarat High Court recently dismissed a Public Interest Litigation filed by the Internet Freedom Foundation that challenged the ban imposed by the law enforcement agencies of the state.

While an outright ban doesn’t really make much sense as PUBG is the only battle royale game available on mobile, a time-based lockout might be a better solution to tackle the growing addiction issue faced by several PUBG Mobile players.