News Desk: In a major relief to journalist Arnab Goswami, the Delhi High Court on Tuesday quashed the criminal defamation complaint and summons issued against him in connection with remarks made during a 2016 television broadcast on Times Now.
According to Live Law, Justice Neena Bansal Krishna set aside the trial court’s order that had summoned Goswami and two others—Shrijeet Ramakant Mishra and Samir Jain—in the defamation case filed by lawyer Vikram Singh Chauhan.
“The complaint is quashed. The summoning order is set aside,” the court said while pronouncing the verdict. The petitions had been pending since 2018 and 2019, with judgment reserved on April 21 this year.
The case stemmed from statements made during Goswami’s show The NewsHour in February 2016, which covered the alleged assault of former JNU student Kanhaiya Kumar and some journalists at the Patiala House Court premises. The incident followed the uproar over alleged anti-India slogans raised at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
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Chauhan had accused Goswami of making “baseless and humiliating allegations” against him during the broadcast, claiming that the remarks were intended to “tarnish his reputation” and “destroy his career.” The trial court, in its February 28, 2018 order, had found that the imputations appeared prima facie defamatory and had directed summons to be issued to the accused.
However, Goswami challenged the order before the High Court, arguing that the remarks made during the programme were part of a journalistic debate and did not constitute defamation under law.
In February 2019, a coordinate bench had granted him exemption from personal appearance before the trial court, which continued as an interim measure for all three petitioners until the final verdict.
With Tuesday’s ruling, the High Court has brought the long-pending matter to a close, providing Goswami and the other accused complete relief from the defamation proceedings.
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Legal experts note that the judgment reinforces the need to balance journalistic freedom and accountability, particularly in cases where public debate intersects with individual reputation.
