Turkey Office Row: Karnataka High Court Quashes Case Against Arnab, Says Abuse Of Process Of Law

New Delhi: The Karnataka High Court on Friday quashed the criminal case registered against Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami and former BJP IT Cell chief Amit Malviya over allegations that they spread misinformation claiming that the Indian National Congress (INC) has an office in Istanbul, Turkey.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna passed the final order on the petitions filed by Arnab and Malviya, seeking to quash the FIR registered against them following a complaint by a Congress leader.

The Court held that the registration of the FIR amounted to an abuse of the process of law. It also noted that the complaint was initiated by an office bearer of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC). Arnab was represented by Senior Advocate Aruna Shyam. 

Another Bench comprising Justice S Rachiah had earlier stayed the criminal proceedings against Malviya and Goswami in connection with the controversy through an order passed in May last year.

What Is The Case About? 

The complaint against Goswami and Malviya was filed by Congress worker Shrikanth Swaroop BN, who accused them of masterminding a campaign to spread false information claiming that the Istanbul Congress Centre in Türkiye was an INC office.

On May 17, 2025, Malviya shared a video and questioned whether the Congress party had a registered office in Turkey. 

The complainant alleged that this was part of a campaign intended to mislead the public, damage the Congress party's reputation and exploit nationalist sentiment.

The FIR registered on the complaint cited Sections 192 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot) and 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023 (BNS).

Both Malviya and Goswami approached the High Court, seeking to quash the FIR registered against them.

What Did Arnab Goswami And Amit Malviya Argue?

Goswami told the Court that the image of the office building appeared in the digital version of Republic for about four seconds due to a technical error and was not part of the original live broadcast.

The petition further stated that the channel removed the image and issued a corrigendum on May 20, 2025, acknowledging the error and expressing regret.

Goswami argued that the FIR had been registered without proper examination of the material and described the criminal proceedings as politically motivated. Malviya also challenged the FIR on similar grounds, arguing that the action against him was politically motivated.

The Court allowed both petitions on Friday and quashed the FIR.