The Karnataka High Court recently criticised the state police for recklessly filing a case against Republic News Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, stating that it was done solely to target him due to his prominence in the media.
The Court noted that Goswami was unjustly implicated without any valid reason, seemingly just to create the impression of criminal proceedings against him, calling the police action irresponsible.
The bench headed by Justice M. Nagaprasanna dismissed a criminal case against Goswami, who was accused last year of broadcasting a fake news report about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
The FIR against Arnab Goswami was filed based on a private complaint by Karnataka Congress member Ravindra MV.
Ravindra alleged that on March 27 of the previous year, Republic TV Kannada aired a news report claiming that traffic on Bengaluru’s MG Road was halted to allow Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s convoy to pass, preventing an ambulance from moving. However, the complainant pointed out that Siddaramaiah was in Mysuru at the time, not Bengaluru.
Goswami was booked under Section 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly making statements that could incite enmity or hatred between different groups. He then approached the High Court seeking to quash the case.
The Court questioned the State on why Goswami was named in the case when he was not directly involved in Republic TV Kannada’s daily operations. When asked what specific offence Goswami had committed, the State did not respond.
The Court concluded that Goswami was unfairly implicated, despite not personally being involved in the operations of Republic TV Kannada or making any comments on air. The court noted that dragging Goswami in the case was an act of settling scores and highlighted the recklessness behind the complaint’s registration.
