Delhi HC quashes criminal defamation complaint, summons against Arnab Goswami

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday set aside the summons issued to TV journalist Arnab Goswami in a criminal defamation complaint filed by an advocate for allegedly making defamatory remarks on a news channel in 2016.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna also quashed the criminal complaint against Goswami and two former officials of the TV channel — Shrijeet Ramakant Mishra and Samir Jain.

Summons against Mishra and Jain were also set aside by the high court. A detailed order is awaited.

The court passed the order on three separate petitions challenging the trial court's order summoning them in the defamation complaint in which advocate Vikram Singh Chauhan had claimed that he was deliberately and wilfully defamed by Goswami and others on a TV channel.

The alleged remarks were made during the broadcast of a programme relating to the violence that took place at the Patiala House court, following the 2016 Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) incident where anti-India slogans were allegedly raised.

In his complaint, the advocate had claimed that during the programme on February 19, 2016, Goswami had levelled "baseless and humiliating" allegations against him. He had said the defamatory allegations were levelled against him with the motive to tarnish his reputation and to wreak vengeance against him with a view to destroy his career.

The magistrate had said the imputations against the lawyer were prima facie against his reputation and there was sufficient material to summon the scribe and others for the alleged offence of defamation.

The offence of defamation under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) entails a maximum of two-year imprisonment or fine or both.

On February 15, 2016, when accused Kanhaiya Kumar was brought before the Patiala House Court for his remand, a mob which included several lawyers allegedly beat up Kumar and several journalists.

The situation continued on February 17, 2016 when the concerned magistrate was forced to conduct the proceedings in his chamber due to security concerns.

The incident, caught on camera, allegedly showed Chauhan being part of the mob.