A Delhi court has directed police to investigate Times Now’s Navika Kumar in a defamation case filed by Arnab Goswami’s ARG Outlier Media. The case stems from Kumar’s 2020 broadcast on the alleged TRP scam.
New Delhi: On August 19, A Delhi court directed the Delhi Police to carry out an inquiry against Times Now Group Editor-in-Chief Navika Kumar in a defamation case filed by journalist Arnab Goswami’s company ARG Outlier Media Private Limited.
The order was passed by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Sidhant Sihag of the Patiala House Court.
The judge used the power under Section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), which allows a magistrate to delay issuing summons to the accused and instead ask the police to investigate first. The purpose of such an inquiry is to see whether there are enough reasons to continue with the case.
The court stated:
“Arguments on the point of summoning heard. Accused is stated to be residing beyond the jurisdiction of this court. Given the facts and circumstances, I deem it appropriate that an investigation be carried out in the instant matter u/s 202 CrPC / 225 BNSS.”
The matter will now be taken up again on February 26. Advocate Ayush Jindal appeared for ARG Outlier Media in the proceedings.
The case arises from a Times Now broadcast aired on January 18, 2020, during the 9 PM primetime show The Newshour.
During the show, Navika Kumar allegedly made defamatory remarks against Arnab Goswami, linking him and Republic TV to the alleged TRP manipulation scam.
According to ARG Outlier Media, the parent company of Republic TV, the show hosted by Kumar not only made false and unverified allegations but also allegedly misrepresented the contents of the Mumbai Police chargesheet in order to defame both Republic TV and Arnab Goswami.
The controversy traces back to the alleged TRP scam which became public in October 2020, when the Mumbai Police claimed that certain TV channels were illegally boosting their Television Rating Points (TRPs).
The police alleged that some channels, including Republic TV, Fakht Marathi, and Box Cinema, were paying money to certain households so that their TV sets would remain tuned into those channels, regardless of whether the residents were actually watching them.
However, in March 2025, a magistrate court in Mumbai allowed the Mumbai Police to withdraw the prosecution in the TRP scam case, effectively ending the criminal proceedings connected to that investigation.
Case Title:
ARG Outlier Media v Navika Kumar
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