Kathmandu, May 8 -- The Supreme Court has issued an interim order directing the government not to evict or displace squatters and informal settlers from their current locations without following due legal procedures, while hearing a petition challenging the decision to remove squatter settlements in Kathmandu.

A division bench of Justices Kumar Regmi and Nityananda Pandey issued the order on Friday in response to the writ petition filed on April 24.

The order states that any action involving the removal of squatters or informal settlers and their relocation elsewhere must strictly follow legal procedures, taking into account the risk of irreparable harm to their constitutional rights, including education, health and housing. It also war...