A Delhi court has summoned Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami after Popular Front of India’s, public relations director M Shamoon filed a civil defamation case against the channel for publishing doctored video footage wherein he is shown to have “promoted violent protests and use of criminal force against the state machinery” as part of a sting operation.
The Court of Additional Senior Civil Judge, Gagandeep Jindal at Saket District Court on Tuesday, passed an order to summon the channel’s chief, Arnab Goswami and others on 27th May 2021, Live Law reported.
In his suit, Shamoon said that a person claiming to be a researcher approached him and spoke about the anti-CAA protests and need to state violent agitation agains the controversial law. Shamoon said he advised the person about sticking to democratic and peaceful ways of protest, and claims to have never spoken about using violent means.
However, he said Republic TV doctored the said conversation and aired the video as a “sting operation”.
He said that the video had led to irreparable damage to him personally as well as the nation at large, as the contents of the fabricated video had reached a worldwide audience.
The plaintiff said, “If the defendant were not in nasty intention, they could have aired the complete dialogue made between the plaintiff and the so-called sting operator. The defendant jointly acted against public morality in this incident. It is an attempt to make somebody as criminal that he would not have committed at all. It is against the public morality and decency and hence falls within the purview of Article 19 (2).”
Shamoon has sought directions towards the removal of the “defamatory video” from Republic TV’s television channel as well as their social media platforms, and the suit is valued at Rs 1.
