The Karnataka High Court on Thursday granted an interim stay on criminal proceedings against BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya and Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in connection with allegations of disseminating false information claiming that the Indian National Congress (INC) operates an office in Istanbul, Turkiye.
Justice S. Rachiah issued the stay while hearing separate petitions filed by Malviya and Goswami seeking quashing of the FIRs registered against them. The stay order will remain effective until the matter is heard further.
The controversy stems from social media and televised content suggesting that the INC runs a political office in Turkiyeโa claim the Congress has strongly denied, calling it a โcriminally motivated campaignโ designed to defame the party and destabilize national integrity amid heightened Indo-Turkish tensions following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.
Malviya also faces a separate case over a social media post showing a morphed image of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, implying Gandhi was aligning with Pakistanโs narrative against the backdrop of Indiaโs retaliatory Operation Sindoor.
Senior Advocate Aruna Shyam, appearing for the petitioners, argued that the cases were driven by political vendetta and lacked legal merit. He pointed out discrepancies in how legal provisions were appliedโhighlighting that while the initial charge under Section 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was bailable, police later upgraded it to the more serious, non-bailable Section 353, alleging incitement of public disorder.
Shyam questioned the invocation of Section 353, noting, โHe (Rahul Gandhi) is not a government functionary but the opposition leader,โ and claimed the escalation reflected an abuse of process.
Republic TV had earlier issued a public correction and apology on May 20, clarifying that an image linked to the alleged โCongress office in Turkeyโ was inadvertently used by a video editor and had not featured in Arnab Goswamiโs primetime debate. The channel called the error an โeditorial oversightโ and expressed regret.
The following day, Malviya reiterated his allegations on social media, asserting that the Congress had opened an office in Turkiye in 2019 and had still not issued a credible rebuttal.
Defending the ongoing investigation, the State’s counsel told the court that the probe was still in preliminary stages, and no coercive steps like arrests had been taken. He requested the court to permit the inquiry to continue to establish the facts behind the allegedly inflammatory claims.
The matter is expected to come up for further hearing in the coming weeks.
