Nepal’s Supreme Court has ordered the government not to impliment a new ban that would have prevented double amputees and visually impaired persons from climbing mountains over 6,500m, including Everest.
This comes after the government announced the ban earlier in the year, which drew criticism from around the world.
Separate writ petitions were filed by Madhav Prasad Chamlagain who represents persons with disabilities in the central executive board of the Federation of Nepali Journalists, and visually impaired climber Amit KC who almost reached the South Col last spring.
Their lawyers argued that the clause banning double amputees and blind climbers violated the human rights as granted by the constitution as well as the United Nations convention on the rights of the persons with disabilities.
This has come as good news for former British Gurkha and double amputee Hari Budha Magar (pictured above) who has been training to climb Everest (including climbing Mera Peak and setting a record as the First Double Amputee Above Knee to climb a 6,000m peak). In a Facebook post he said: “What a great news to hear when I wake up this morning. Now, we have summited a bureaucratic Mt. Everest. The justice has served! Thank you Supreme Court, you are our hope to get justice. This is true example of Nepalese judiciary system, keep it up! I hope Department of Tourism will implement this Supreme Court order. Let’s climb real Mt Everest together!”