Delhi Court orders police inquiry against Times Now’s Navika Kumar in Arnab Goswami defamation case linked to TRP scam twist, raising major media accountability concerns.
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NEW DELHI: The Patiala House Courts in Delhi have ordered the Delhi Police to conduct an inquiry against Times Now Group Editor-in-Chief Navika Kumar in connection with a defamation complaint filed by Arnab Goswami’s ARG Outlier Media Pvt. Ltd.
The order was passed by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Siddhant Sihag, who invoked Section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and Section 225 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023. These provisions empower a magistrate to defer issuance of summons when the accused resides outside the court’s jurisdiction and instead direct a preliminary police investigation.
The court stated that,
“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. Copy of this order be sent to the concerned SHO for necessary action. Report be filed by the IO on or before NDOH.”
The matter is now scheduled for further hearing on February 26, 2026.
Background of the Case
The complaint originates from a Times Now broadcast on January 18, 2020, during the prime-time show The Newshour. ARG Outlier Media alleged that Navika Kumar made defamatory and unsubstantiated statements against Arnab Goswami concerning the alleged Television Rating Points (TRP) manipulation scam.
The company contended that Kumar misrepresented the contents of the Mumbai Police chargesheet, with the deliberate intention of maligning both Goswami and his channel, Republic TV.
The TRP Scam Context
The alleged TRP manipulation scam first came to light in October 2020, when Mumbai Police accused several channels, including Republic TV, Fakht Marathi, and Box Cinema, of artificially boosting ratings by bribing households to keep their TVs tuned to particular channels.
However, in March 2025, a Mumbai magistrate court permitted the withdrawal of prosecution in the TRP scam, effectively closing the criminal case.
Despite this closure, ARG Outlier Media is continuing with defamation proceedings, maintaining that the damage to reputation was independent of the outcome of the TRP investigation.
Previous Legal Battles Involving Navika Kumar
This is not the first time Navika Kumar has faced legal scrutiny. In September 2022, the Supreme Court of India transferred all the FIRs and complaints filed against her to the Delhi Police’s IFSO unit. These FIRs stemmed from the controversial Times Now debate of May 26, 2022, where former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma made remarks against Prophet Muhammad.
The apex court had directed that:
- All FIRs across States be clubbed with the lead FIR in Delhi.
- No coercive action should be taken against Kumar in the related cases.
- Interim protections extended earlier would continue.
This plea was filed by Kumar to prevent multiple parallel proceedings in States like Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, and Jammu & Kashmir.
Case Title:
ARG Outlier Media Pvt. Ltd. v. Navika
44 Ct Cases 258/2021
READ ORDER HERE
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