The government registered a bill entitled “The Bill made to amend and integrate the existing law on formation and operation of Nepal Special Service, 2076” at the Parliament Secretariat on 15 December 2019. The main aim of the Bill is to control acts of “secession, espionage, sabotage and subversion” and “protect national sovereignty, national integrity and communal harmony”. The Bill allows the intelligence officials to serveil, monitor and intercept the suspicious audio or audiovisual conversation at the individual or institutional level.
The Bill met with controversy as, by invoking provisions of the Bill, the government can listen to private conversations through phone tapping and perform other interfering activities going against the right to privacy of individuals. So, the NLPC got the Bill reviewed by a legal expert, held discussion on the Bill and review paper with stakeholders, and submitted a set of recommendations to the Parliament Secretariat.