TV journalist moves HC for quashing of summons in criminal defamation complaint

TV journalist Arnab Goswami moved the Delhi High Court on Thursday, challenging the summons issued to him in a criminal defamation complaint filed by an advocate for allegedly making defamatory remarks on a news channel.

The journalist sought quashing of the February 28, 2018 order of a magistrate, summoning him as an accused in the defamation complaint, in which advocate Vikram Singh Chauhan had claimed that he was deliberately and wilfully defamed by Goswami and others on a TV channel.

The alleged remarks were made during the broadcast of a programme relating to the violence that took place at the Patiala House court, following the 2016 Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) incident where anti-India slogans were allegedly raised.

The scribe's plea has been listed for hearing on Friday before Justice R K Gauba.

In his complaint, the advocate had submitted that during the programme on February 19, 2016, Goswami had levelled baseless and humiliating allegations against him.

He had said the defamatory allegations were levelled against him with the motive to tarnish his reputation and to wreak vengeance against him with a view to destroy his career.

The magistrate had said the imputations against the lawyer were prima facie against his reputation and there was sufficient material to summon the scribe and others for the alleged offence of defamation.

The offence of defamation under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) entails a maximum of two-year imprisonment or fine or both.