The Delhi High Court on Tuesday set aside the summons issued to journalist Arnab Goswami in a 2016 criminal defamation case filed by advocate Vikram Singh Chauhan over remarks allegedly made on a TV broadcast following the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) campus row.
Justice Neena Bansal Krishna also quashed the criminal complaint itself, providing relief not only to Goswami but also to two former officials of the TV channel — Shrijeet Ramakant Mishra and Samir Jain — who were facing similar proceedings. The summons against them were likewise set aside. A detailed judgment is expected to follow.
The case stemmed from a televised programme aired on February 19, 2016, shortly after violence erupted at Delhi’s Patiala House Court, where JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar was brought for remand. During the broadcast, Goswami allegedly made remarks that Chauhan claimed were “baseless and humiliating,” intended to damage his reputation and professional standing.
Chauhan, an advocate, alleged that the comments were part of a deliberate attempt to malign him after he was purportedly seen among lawyers who had attacked journalists and students outside the court premises amid the JNU controversy.
In his complaint, Chauhan asserted that the defamatory statements were made with malice and sought to initiate criminal defamation proceedings under Sections 499 and 500 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The trial court had found sufficient material to summon Goswami, Mishra, and Jain, observing that the imputations could prima facie harm the complainant’s reputation.
Defamation under the IPC carries a maximum punishment of two years’ imprisonment or a fine, or both.
The High Court, hearing three separate petitions filed by Goswami and the two former channel officials, disagreed with the trial court’s conclusion and quashed both the summons and the complaint. While the detailed reasoning is yet to be released, the order effectively brings an end to the nearly decade-long criminal proceedings arising from the JNU-related broadcast.
The Patiala House incident in February 2016 had triggered nationwide outrage after visuals showed a group of lawyers assaulting journalists and students within the court complex, prompting calls for accountability and media scrutiny over the episode.
