Nepal’s Supreme Court has now ordered the royalist government to allow a private radio station to relay BBC programs.

The government had ordered the radio station not to relay news bulletins of the BBC Nepali Service saying under government curbs private radio stations were not allowed to broadcast news.

Armed Nepali police had stormed Radio Sagarmatha (the Nepali name for Mount Everest) last week, detained four reporters and seized equipment to stop it relaying a BBC interview with Maoist rebel chief Prachanda. The reporters were released last week.

The anti-monarchy Maoists have been fighting against government forces for nine years in a revolt that has left more than 12,500 people dead. Last week, the rebels extended a three-month unilateral truce by a month.

The curb on radio broadcasts was part of wider controls imposed on the media after King Gyanendra seized power in February, saying he was acting to quell the Maoist revolt.