Delhi HC summons Arnab Goswami over incendiary claim of Congress Turkey office
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The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued summons to Republic TV and its editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami in a defamation suit instituted by the Indian National Congress, which has sought damages amounting to ₹2 crore over a contentious May 2025 broadcast alleging the party’s operation of an international office in Turkey.
The litigation arises from a contentious May 2025 broadcast wherein Goswami alleged that the opposition party maintained a clandestine international headquarters in Turkey—a claim the Congress denounces as a fabrication. Seeking ₹2 crore in punitive damages, the party contends that the broadcast was a calculated attempt to impugn its integrity.
Presiding over the matter, the court directed the registration of the plaint and mandated that the defendants submit a comprehensive written statement within thirty days, while simultaneously issuing notice regarding a plea for an interim injunction.
The crux of the dispute lies in the "Operation Sindoor" coverage, during which Goswami suggested the Congress was aligned with "enemies of the nation" due to its purported Turkish presence. However, subsequent fact-checking revealed a glaring topographical error: the edifice depicted as a party office was, in reality, the Istanbul Congress Centre, a municipal convention venue.
While Republic TV has since tendered a public apology—attributing the blunder to a "technical error" by a digital video editor and asserting the clip was never broadcast during the live debate—the legal repercussions continue to mount.
Despite the channel's claims of prompt rectification, an FIR alleging a "criminally motivated campaign" was previously lodged against Goswami and BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya. Although the Karnataka High Court recently stayed investigations into that specific FIR, the Delhi High Court's latest intervention signals a rigorous judicial examination of journalistic accountability and the limits of editorial license.
The proceedings are slated to resume on May 19, as the court deliberates whether the broadcast constituted a genuine oversight or a sophisticated disinformation manoeuvre.