The screenshot illusion and Nepal’s broken digital justice

Every day, billions of transactions, arguments, disputes and agreements for common misunderstandings across Nepal are settled with a single reflex: a screenshot. We capture an Instagram reply, a Viber chat, a mobile banking receipt, a threatening Facebook comment, and an opinion on TikTok, and believe we have secured an unassailable piece of truth with full confidence.

In the court of public opinion, a screenshot is a verdict. But take that same image, or a piece of truth we captured on our device, into a Nepali courtroom, and a harsh reality sets in.