Kathmandu, May 8 -- The government, on Wednesday, presented the Media Council bill to Parliament, bypassing a critical consultation phase with stakeholders and the public.

The consultation phase, in practice for a long time now, is considered a critical element of the democratic exercise of lawmaking.

Drafting of the Media Council bill, which aims to replace the existing Press Council Act, started last year, but information rights activists said that the government has attempted to prevent them from accessing the bill and its contents.

"No bill in Nepal has been shrouded in such secrecy in our recent history. There was not a single consultation since the drafting of the bill began," said Taranath Dahal of Freedom Forum, a civil liberti...