The Karnataka High Court on the 24th of February lashed out at the state Police for acting irresposibly and booking renowned Journalist Arnab Goswami in a fake news case. The Karnataka High Court has quashed a criminal case filed against Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, observing that the police acted irresponsibly and recklessly in booking him in a fake news case.
The order, made public recently, was issued by Justice M Nagaprasanna in the case Arnab Goswami v. State of Karnataka and ors.
“Merely because the petitioner (Goswami) is a renowned name in the fourth estate, he is without rhyme and reason dragged into the web of crime, only to project registration of a crime against the petitioner, which on the face of it, is reckless,” the Court stated.
The case was registered following a complaint by Karnataka Congress member Ravindra MV, who alleged that on March 27 last year, Republic TV Kannada aired a false news report claiming that traffic on MG Road, Bengaluru, was halted for Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s convoy, preventing an ambulance from passing. However, at that time, Siddaramaiah was in Mysuru, not Bengaluru.
Arnab Goswami was booked under Section 505(2) of the IPC, which pertains to making statements that promote enmity, hatred, or ill-will between different classes. Challenging this, Goswami approached the High Court, seeking to quash the case.
During the hearings, Senior Advocate Aruna Shyam, representing Arnab Goswami, informed the Court that the news report was deleted immediately after the channel realized the error. The Court also noted that the complainant had “suggested” specific IPC provisions to be invoked, showing bias.
The Court questioned the State authorities on why Arnab Goswami was implicated, considering he was not involved in the daily operations of Republic TV Kannada.
Justice Nagaprasanna remarked that Arnab Goswami was dragged into the case only because of his name and reputation in the media. The Court found no evidence to prove that he personally made any statement or aired the content in question.
The Court observed, “Merely because the petitioner is a renowned name in the fourth estate, he is without rhyme and reason dragged into the web of crime.”
Terming the case a misuse of legal provisions, the Court stated that allowing an investigation would result in a miscarriage of justice. The ruling, issued on February 13, concluded that the complaint lacked merit and was filed with malafide intent, leading to the case being quashed.
