Karnataka HC stays cases against BJP IT cell chief, Arnab Goswami over Cong' 'Turkiye Office' issue
Bengaluru (PTI): The Karnataka High Court has granted an interim stay on criminal proceedings initiated against BJP leader Amit Malviya and Republic TV's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, in connection with allegations of spreading false claims that the Indian National Congress (INC) operates an office in Istanbul, Turkiye.
Justice S Rachiah passed the order on Thursday while hearing petitions filed by both Malviya and Goswami, seeking the quashing of the cases lodged against them. The stay will remain in effect until the next hearing.
Malviya is also facing a separate case over a controversial social media post in which he shared a morphed image showing half the face of Gandhi merged with that of Pakistan's Army Chief Asim Munir.
The caption alleged that Gandhi was aligning with Pakistan's narrative, particularly in the wake of India's military offensive Operation Sindoor, in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Malviya's post further questioned whether Gandhi was aspiring for the Nishan-e-Pakistan, Pakistan's highest civilian award.
Both cases have now been stayed following petitions to quash them.
The Congress had filed multiple complaints across the country, including in Karnataka, accusing Malviya and Goswami of orchestrating a "criminally motivated campaign" to spread fabricated claims that the Istanbul Congress Centre in Turkiye is an official Congress office.
The party alleged that the misinformation was aimed at defaming the INC, inciting unrest, and compromising national security, particularly sensitive in light of strained diplomatic ties between India and Turkiye following the Pahalgam attack and India's retaliatory action.
On May 20, Republic TV issued a public correction, stating that an image used in its digital coverage, which was purportedly linked to the alleged Congress office in Turkey, was mistakenly included by a video editor. The channel clarified that the image had no relevance to the broadcast content and was never aired on Goswami's primetime debate show. The error, the channel said, occurred after the live show had ended and was swiftly corrected. Republic TV extended an "unconditional and sincere" apology.
The next day, a post on Malviya's 'X' handle reiterated that the Congress had opened an office in Turkiye in 2019, shortly after it voiced support for Pakistan on the Kashmir issue at the UN. He dismissed the legal actions as evasive and insisted the party had yet to provide a credible explanation.
During Thursday's court proceedings, Senior Advocate Aruna Shyam, representing Malviya and Goswami, argued that the cases were politically driven and lacked substance. He highlighted inconsistencies in the application of legal provisions, particularly how an initially bailable charge under Section 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) was reportedly upgraded to a non-bailable one under Section 353 after police approached a magistrate. Section 353 pertains to statements intended to incite public disorder.
Shyam questioned the applicability of Section 353, stating, "He (Gandhi) is not a government functionary but the opposition leader," suggesting that the legal escalation was politically motivated.
The State's counsel responded that the investigation was at a preliminary stage and only notices had been issued, with no intention of making arrests. He urged the court to allow the inquiry to proceed to ascertain the nature and context of the disseminated information.
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Woman, 2 sons found dead in Delhi home; suicide suspected
New Delhi (PTI): Three members of a family were found dead inside their home in southeast Delhi's Kalkaji on Friday, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, officials said.
Police said the incident came to light around 2.47 pm when a police team reached the premises to execute a court order related to possession of the property. When repeated knocks went unanswered, the staff used a duplicate key to open the door.
Inside, officers found Anuradha Kapoor (52) and her sons, Ashish Kapoor (32) and Chaitanya Kapoor (27), hanging from the ceiling, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southeast) Hemant Tiwari said in a statement. All three were declared dead.
A handwritten note was recovered from the room, suggesting the family had been struggling with depression.
"The handwritten note indicates emotional distress faced by the family due to which the family may have taken the extreme step," the officer said.
The bodies have been shifted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) mortuary for post-mortem and other legal formalities under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), police said.
Residents of the neighbourhood said they were shocked to learn about the deaths, adding that the family kept largely to themselves.
Pankaj Kashyap, a resident of Girinagar, said he learnt about the deaths while leaving for work. "I live and work here and was leaving for work when I saw many people standing outside and talking. That is how I got to know that three people had committed suicide. I also saw several police vehicles outside, but I do not know much beyond that," he said.
Baldev, another neighbour, said the family had been living in the newly constructed house for around two years. "We only knew that a mother and her two children lived there. They had moved into the newly built house around two years ago. We did not interact much with them. Today we heard that all three have committed suicide, and whatever we know is based on what people here are saying," he said.
Another neighbour, Ramesh Kumar, claimed the family had earlier attempted suicide.
"About fifteen to twenty days ago, the two sons in the family had attempted suicide and police and ambulances had come. That was when I first got to know who they were. I do not recognise them by face, but we saw the ambulances and police take the two sons that day. Today again we saw ambulances and police arriving, so everyone came out to see what had happened. I do not know how long they had been living here, but this is all we know," he said.
Police said they are examining the family's financial condition, social circumstances, and other factors that may have contributed to the incident. Further investigation is underway.
