New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Tuesday issued summons to journalist and Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami in a case filed by the Indian National Congress (INC) alleging that he made false claims about the party having an office in Istanbul, Turkey.
A bench of Justice Mini Pushkarna also issued notice on the plea, seeking a response from the parties before the next date of hearing on May 19 this year. “Issue summons to the defendants by all modes. Written statement to be filed within 30 days,” the court said while seeking a reply from Goswami in four weeks.
The case dates back to last May, when an FIR was registered against Goswami and BJP IT department chief Amit Malviya for claiming that the Congress had an office in Istanbul. The remarks were made after Turkey sided with Pakistan in the aftermath of Operation Sindoor.
Republic TV had also aired a broadcast which erroneously depicted another building as the Congress office in Turkey. However, the channel also later issued a public apology claiming the error was due to a video editor on their digital desk. “The image had no connection to the content or context of the said video,” the channel said in its public apology while adding that the moment it was brought to attention, the same was promptly rectified by them.
On Tuesday, advocate Muhammad Ali Khan, appearing for the Congress, argued in court, “The content continues to damage me. Even if they’ve admitted it’s false, people are still talking about it”.
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What Congress plea says
The plea filed by the Congress seeks an injunction along with damages to the tune of Rs 2 crore due to a series of defamatory broadcasts and digital publications made by Arnab Goswami and Republic TV. Terming itself as the oldest and most prominent political party in the country, the Congress has sought protection of its reputation and goodwill against false and malicious allegations broadcasted to millions of viewers on its platforms.
The issue arose on 15 May last year, when during a primetime show titled The Debate with Arnab, a claim was made on TV, saying that Turkey had taken a side against India in the military conflict with Pakistan that followed Operation Sindoor.
Goswami went on to make more allegations, claiming that the Congress had a registered office in Turkey and was conducting operations in Istanbul through appointed individuals. They also went on to add that this implied the Congress was acting against national interests.
The plea also added that these statements were presented without any verified or credible evidence, and were also accompanied by provocative graphics, hashtags and commentaries calling the Congress “enemies of the nation” while urging people to boycott them.
Finally, the petitioners sought damages to the tune of Rs 2,10,00,000, saying that party workers and members were subjected to targeted hate and abuse as a result of these irresponsible statements.
(Edited By Nardeep Singh Dahiya)
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