News fact-check · 10 August 2026 (Shrawan 25, 2083). Based on the writ petition and interim order as reported by TechPana, including statements from the Department of Transport Management and transport office information officers. The case is sub judice — the position below can change with the court’s final ruling.
Infographics claiming the Supreme Court has ordered Nepal’s online driving licence work stopped are all over social media this week, complete with criticism aimed at the justices. We read what the order actually covers. The claim is misleading: the interim order does not touch the online licence system at all. It freezes one specific decision — about who may do the medical check — and its practical effect is limited to Bagmati Province.
The Claim vs the Order
| Viral claim | What the record shows |
|---|---|
| “The Supreme Court ordered licence work not to be done online” | The writ and the order nowhere ask for, or direct, the new online system to be stopped |
| “The online system is blocked nationwide” | The practical effect is on medical checks in Bagmati Province; the system runs in other provinces |
| “Justices are against digitisation” | The order preserves the status quo on one ministerial decision about health-check providers, pending a hearing |
Where This Actually Started
The dispute begins not with digitisation but with a service contract. Kalibahar Thapa, operator of Sunaulo Medical Clinic, filed a certiorari writ at the Supreme Court challenging two things:
- the Ministry of Infrastructure Development’s ministerial decision of 2083/02/13, and
- its letter of 2083/03/32.
Background: a 13 Jestha 2083 ministerial decision had opened driving-licence health checks to any doctor registered with the Nepal Medical Council. The petitioner argues that under a prior agreement dated 2082/07/08, his clinic held the right to provide the health-check service — and asked the court to restore his system access (user and password) and keep the old arrangement in place until the case is decided.
The key sentence in the whole story: the writ petition nowhere asks for the government’s new online system to be shut down or obstructed. This is a provider fighting for a contract, not a case against digitisation.
What the Court Ordered
On 12 Shrawan, a single bench of Justice Meghraj Pokharel issued an interim order with a show-cause notice:
- Do not implement the challenged decision and letter — keep the status quo until the writ is finally decided
- Do not obstruct the petitioner’s service operation, including user and password access
- Respondents must file a written reply within 15 days explaining why the requested order should not be issued
Nowhere in the order is the Department told not to operate its new system. The order freezes one decision about health-check providers — nothing more.
What Changed on the Ground — Bagmati Only
Complying with the order, Bagmati Province’s Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Labour and Transport issued a notice on 20 Shrawan: driving-licence applicants’ health checks must now be done only through the 17 medical institutions and doctors designated by the ministry — and only they can certify results through the portal.
Two things follow from that:
- The department’s doctor.dotm.gov.np portal — which had given access to all registered doctors — is not in use in Bagmati for now. DoTM information officer Keshav Khatiwada confirmed the old rules re-apply there, while other provinces continue on the new system.
- The rest of the licence process is untouched: applications continue through EDLVRS, and written and practical exams were always physical anyway — the new system only removed the office visit for everything except biometrics.
The Confusion Is Real: Three Offices, Three Practices
TechPana’s checks with transport offices inside Bagmati found no uniform practice:
| Office | Current practice (per information officers) |
|---|---|
| Radheradhe | Doctors have resumed stalls inside the office; applicants come to the office for the check (Jivan Kumar Basnet) |
| Kalanki | No doctor inside the office — applicants must find listed doctors’ stalls outside (Kul Bahadur Basnet) |
| Ekantakuna | Designated institutions check applicants at their own locations and certify through the old system (Dhiraj Raut) |
Asked about the inconsistency, DoTM’s Khatiwada said the responsibility sits with the province government, which needs to circulate uniform instructions to the transport offices. The province ministry’s information officer could not be reached — his phone was off.
If You Are Applying in Bagmati Right Now
- Apply through EDLVRS as normal. The online application, and our step-by-step EDLVRS guide, are unaffected.
- For the medical check, use only the ministry’s list of 17 designated institutions and doctors — a doctor outside the list cannot certify you in the portal right now.
- Ask your transport office first whether the doctor sits inside the office or you must visit the clinic — practice differs office to office, as above.
- Outside Bagmati, nothing changed. Health checks continue under the new system.
- Written and practical exams are physical everywhere — that was true before the order and remains true.
Bottom line: the Supreme Court has not stopped Nepal’s online driving licence system. It has preserved the old health-check arrangement in Bagmati while a clinic’s contract dispute is heard. Sharing “अदालतले अनलाइन प्रणाली रोक्यो” infographics spreads a claim the order itself does not contain.
Need help with your licence application?
Digital Solution assists with EDLVRS applications, renewals, category additions and International Driving Permits across Nepal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did the Supreme Court stop online driving licence applications in Nepal?
No. The interim order of 12 Shrawan freezes a ministerial decision about who may perform licence health checks; neither the writ nor the order asks for the online system to be stopped. EDLVRS applications continue.
What exactly did the interim order say?
Justice Meghraj Pokharel’s single bench ordered the challenged ministerial decision (2083/02/13) and letter (2083/03/32) kept in status quo until the writ is decided, ordered no obstruction of the petitioner clinic’s service access, and gave respondents 15 days to file a written reply.
Who filed the case, and why?
Kalibahar Thapa, operator of Sunaulo Medical Clinic, arging that a prior agreement (2082/07/08) entitled his clinic to provide the health-check service — challenging the decision that opened checks to all NMC-registered doctors.
Where do I do my licence medical check in Bagmati now?
Only at the 17 medical institutions and doctors designated by Bagmati’s Ministry of Industry, Tourism, Labour and Transport in its 20 Shrawan notice. Practice varies by office — some host doctor stalls inside, others direct applicants to clinics — so ask your transport office first.
Is the doctor.dotm.gov.np portal closed?
In Bagmati it is not in use for now; designated doctors certify through the old system. In other provinces the portal and the new arrangement continue to operate.
Are written and practical exams online now?
No — they were physical before this dispute and remain physical. The new system’s change was removing office visits for everything except biometrics, with the department planning gradual further digitisation.
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Rabin Paudel
Rabin Paudel is the Founder of Digital Solution, a Content Creator, and an AI Trainer. He shares practical and easy-to-understand content on Artificial Intelligence, Digital Literacy, Online Services, FinTech, and Technology. His mission is to make technology simple, accessible, and useful for everyone.
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