The Karnataka High Court issued stay on the investigation against Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami in a fake news case. The Bengaluru police filed the case based on a complaint by a Karnataka Congress member, alleging that Republic TV spread false information about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The court’s decision provides temporary relief to Goswami.
Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court issued an interim stay on Tuesday, staying all investigations against journalist and Republic TV News editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami.
This decision pertains to a case filed by the Bengaluru police in March, where Goswami was accused of broadcasting a false news report regarding Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Goswami faced charges following a complaint by a Congress member under Section 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which pertains to making statements that “create or promote enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes.”
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The Court remarked that this section could not be applied to the current case “even in its remotest form,” describing it as an instance of “reckless registration of crime by the complainant.”
While granting the interim stay, Justice M Nagaprasanna questioned,
“What is the offence?”
The single-judge emphasized that allowing such complaints could result in an abuse of legal processes.
Justice Nagaprasanna stated,
“What has Arnab Goswami done? There is a plethora of things brought out by him. It might have proved good for some and bad for others, but where is the case of inciting? We will hear both parties but now we will stay the investigation,”
The FIR against Arnab Goswami filed following a private complaint by Karnataka Congress member Ravindra MV.
Ravindra alleged that on March 27, Republic TV Kannada aired a report claiming that traffic on MG Road in Bengaluru was halted to allow Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to pass, which resulted in an ambulance being denied right of way. However, the complainant noted that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah was actually in Mysuru at the time.
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Senior Advocate Aruna Shyam, representing Goswami, informed the Court that the news report was promptly deleted once the channel recognized its inaccuracy. Shyam also argued that the complainant appeared overly eager, even “suggesting” which IPC provision should be applied against Goswami.
The High Court stated while granting relief to Goswami,
“The petitioner is the executive director of Republic TV. He is now drawn into these proceedings for an offence under Section 505(2) of the IPC. The essence of the private complaint is that a news report aired on Republic TV Kannada regarding public inconveniences due to traffic restrictions during the Chief Minister’s movements was deemed misleading. The news was deleted almost immediately, within 24 hours. By that time, the complainant had already sought to register the crime. It is unclear how Section 505(2) could be applicable in this case, indicating a reckless registration of crime by the complainant,”
The Court plans to hear Goswami’s quashing plea on January 16, 2025.