HC Summons Arnab Goswami in Congress Defamation Case

Today, the Delhi High Court has issued a summons to Republic TV Editor Arnab Goswami in a defamation suit filed by the Congress party over claims that it operated an office in Turkey, while refusing to grant interim relief at this stage. The Court noted that the impugned broadcast indicated that immediate injunctive intervention was not warranted.

The dispute stemmed from a broadcast aired on Republic TV in which Goswami alleged that the Congress party had an office in Turkey, a claim amplified on social media with visuals of a building in Istanbul. The remarks were made in the backdrop of geopolitical tensions, with the broadcast questioning the party’s alleged links abroad. The Congress party denied the allegation, asserting that the building shown was in fact the Istanbul Congress Centre, a public convention venue, and accused the broadcaster of spreading false and defamatory content. Although Republic TV later issued a clarification terming it an editorial error, the Congress pursued legal action seeking damages and an interim restraint against the continued circulation of the content.

Justice Mini Pushkarna took note of the timeline of events and declined to pass any interim order, observing, “I will issue summons that's all. The broadcast is from May 2025.” While the Court acknowledged the plaintiff’s contention that the content continued to remain accessible, it limited its intervention to issuing a summons and notice on the interim application.

The Court directed the defendants to file their response within four weeks and listed the matter for further hearing in May.

Disclaimer: This news/ article includes information received via a syndicated news feed. The original rights remain with the respective publisher.