Delhi High Court Quashes Defamation Case Against Arnab Goswami Over Remarks Against Lawyer Who 'Attacked' Kanhaiya Kumar In 2016

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday (November 4) quashed summons issued against journalist Arnab Goswami in a criminal defamation case filed against him.

The lawyer, Vikram Singh Chauhan, alleged that defamatory remarks were made against him on Times Now channel by Goswami in 2016 during the broadcast of his show The NewsHour.

The broadcast pertained to the incident alleging assault of former JNU student Kanhaiya Kumar and some journalists by Chauhan in the Patiala House Courts premises, in the aftermath of the incident wherein anti-India slogans were allegedly raised in the varsity.

Justice Neena Bansal Krishna quashed the criminal complaint and the summons issued against Goswami and others including former officials of Times Now channel- Shrijeet Ramakant Mishra and Samir Jain.

”Complaint quashed. Summoning order set aside,” the Court said while pronouncing the verdict.

The petitions were filed in 2018 and 2019. Judgment was finally reserved in the matter on April 21.

Goswami had challenged the trial court order passed on February 28, 2018, summoning him as an accused in the defamation complaint.

On February 09, 2019, a coordinate bench had granted exemption to Goswami from personal appearance before the trial court in the matter. Similar order was passed in the petitions filed by Mishra and Jain. The interim orders continued from time to time.

In his complaint, Chauhan alleged that during the programme which aired on February 19, 2016, Goswami levelled baseless and humiliating allegations against him.

He alleged further that 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.”

Vide the impugned order, the trial court had said the imputations against Chauhan were prima facie against his reputation.

It was also observed that there was sufficient material to summon Goswami and others for alleged offence of defamation.

Title: Arnab Goswami v. State & Ors and other connected matters