Mumbai: Cong leaders move HC against Arnab Goswami, Republic TV
Congress leader and member of Maharashtra Legislative Council Bhai Jagtap and state Youth Congress vice-president Suraj Singh Thakur on Friday moved the Bombay High Court against Republic TV management and its editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami seeking direction to lodge FIR and initiate investigation against them.
The plea contested Goswami’s remarks on a TV show related to the Palghar lynching case and against Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi.
Moreover, the petitioners through advocate Rahul Kamerkar sought an interim ban on all broadcasting by Goswami and Republic TV until conclusion of investigation. The prayers have been made citing grounds of falsely reinforcing fake news that the lynching in Palghar was committed by a mob from minority communities.
The plea also seeks from the court to restrain Goswami from speaking on any television channel or online platform until conclusion of investigation against him.
The petitioners submitted that the said lynching is alleged by the respondent channel to have been committed due to the religion of the victims, whereas it was already well known at the time that the mob consisted of members of the same religion as the victims of the lynching. Goswami’s statements were aimed to cause political uproar, the petition added.
The plea further stated that Goswami has employed hate speech, promoting enmity between different religious groups by communalising and politicising the incident. The petitioners said that means utilised by Goswami and Republic TV are unethical and abusive of true notion of freedom of speech and the press.
However, the Supreme Court on Friday morning granted protection against any coercive steps for three weeks to Goswami in connection with the several FIRs registered against him in a few states.
