Delhi High Court Summons Arnab Goswami Over Defamation Case by Congress
Court Proceedings Against Arnab Goswami
On Tuesday, the Delhi High Court issued a summons to Arnab Goswami, the Editor of Republic TV, in response to a defamation lawsuit filed by the Congress party. This legal action stems from Goswami's assertion that the Indian opposition party maintained an office in Turkey, as reported by a news outlet.
Justice Mini Pushkarna, presiding over the case, declined to issue any interim orders, noting that the controversial statement was made during a broadcast in May.
The court is scheduled to hear the case again on May 19.
During a segment aired on May 15, Goswami inaccurately claimed that the Istanbul Congress Center served as the office for the Indian National Congress. The venue depicted in the broadcast is actually a convention center owned by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, according to another news source.
Previously, the Bengaluru Police had filed charges against Goswami and Amit Malviya, the BJP's publicity chief, following a complaint from a leader of the Indian Youth Congress. The first information report cited sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to inciting riots and intentional insults aimed at provoking a breach of peace.
At that time, the Karnataka High Court had put a stay on the case.
The complainant argued that Goswami's statements were made with a clear intent to mislead the Indian public, defame the Congress party, and manipulate nationalist sentiments, thereby jeopardizing national security and democratic integrity.
Additionally, the complainant pointed out that these claims were particularly sensitive given the strained relations between India and Turkey, especially due to Turkey's support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.
In response to the controversy, Republic TV stated that the image used in the broadcast was mistakenly selected by a video editor due to a technical glitch.
However, the Congress party contended that an apology alone was insufficient to address the issue.