A powerful new player has entered the debate about commercialization and the environment in Nepal. The country’s Supreme Court has ordered the government to limit the number of climbers on Everest. It also bans helicopters above base camp on all its mountains and orders new regulations to limit garbage on its peaks.

Nepal's Supreme Court has ordered the government to limit the number of mountaineering permits issued for Everest and other peaks, a lawyer confirmed Friday, just as expeditions prepare for the spring climbing season.

Nepal Supreme Court has issued a mandamus to the government of Nepal, instructing to impose a limit on the number of climbing permits for peaks in Nepal, which include Mount Everest.A single bench of Justices Sapana Pradhan Malla and Sushma Lata Mathema had issued mandamus to the government directing limitation in expedition permits.