Karnataka High Court Halts Investigation Against Arnab Goswami in Fake News Case, Calls Complaint ‘Reckless’

(Judicial Quest News Network)

In a significant development, the Karnataka High Court on Tuesday intervened in a case against Arnab Goswami, the editor-in-chief of Republic TV, by granting an interim stay on the ongoing investigation into a fake news allegation. The case, initially registered in March 2024 by Bengaluru police, stemmed from a complaint made by a Karnataka Congress member, Ravindra MV, accusing Republic TV of airing false information about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

The complaint had claimed that Republic TV Kannada aired a misleading report on March 27, 2024, which alleged that traffic on Bengaluru’s MG Road was halted to facilitate the passage of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The report further claimed that an ambulance was delayed due to these traffic diversions, despite the fact that the Chief Minister was not even in Bengaluru at the time, but was instead in Mysuru.

The Karnataka Congress member, Ravindra MV, lodged the complaint under Section 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deals with promoting enmity between classes or causing fear and alarm in society through false statements. The charge raised concerns about public unrest, as the report falsely depicted a disruption caused by the Chief Minister’s movement.

However, the High Court found that the complaint did not meet the legal requirements for the invocation of Section 505(2) of the IPC, dismissing it as a “reckless registration of crime.” Justice M. Nagaprasanna, while granting relief to Goswami, emphasized that such complaints, if allowed to proceed, could lead to an abuse of the legal process.

During the proceedings, senior advocate Aruna Shyam, representing Goswami, explained that Republic TV had promptly deleted the news report within 24 hours of realizing its inaccuracy. Shyam also pointed out that the complainant had been overly zealous in suggesting specific legal provisions to be invoked against Goswami, which the court deemed inappropriate.

The High Court further questioned the validity of invoking Section 505(2) in this case, noting that the news story, although incorrect, was retracted swiftly. The court underscored that the complaint lacked a reasonable basis and represented an overzealous attempt to criminalize an error.

The Karnataka High Court has now set the next hearing for January 16, 2025, where it will further examine the matter and Goswami’s petition against the charges. For now, the court’s interim stay ensures that the investigation against the journalist remains on hold.

therefore it is a case of reckless registration of crime by the complainant the high court said while the granting relief to Goswami the court will hear the crossing the filed by Goswami on January 16th 2025

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