Arnab Goswami gets SC protection for 3 weeks in FIRs over alleged defamatory statements
In a relief for Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, the Supreme Court on Friday granted interim protection for three weeks from any coercive action in multiple FIRs and complaints against him over his alleged defamatory statements against Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi during news shows on the recent Palghar lynching incident in Maharashtra.
Staying until further orders further proceedings in the three FIRs and 11 complaints lodged in different States except for the one FIR lodged in Nagpur city, the top court also said there is a need for the law to protect journalistic freedom within the ambit of Article 19(1) (a) (freedom of speech and expression) of the Constitution. The FIRs and complaints were lodged in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.
There should be no restraint on the media. I am averse to imposing any restrictions on media, said Justice Chandrachud when senior advocate Vivek Tankha, appearing for the ...