Amit Malviya, Arnab Goswami booked for false claim about ‘Congress office in Turkey'
The case was filed based on a complaint by the Indian Youth Congress' legal cell head Shrikant Swaroop BN under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace.
The complainant alleged that the claim was made 'with clear and undeniable criminal intent to deceive the Indian public, defame a major political institution, manipulate nationalist sentiments, incite public unrest, and undermine national security and democratic integrity'.
The Indian Youth Congress further noted that the claims were made in the context of tense India-Turkey relations due to Ankara's support for Pakistan during heightened tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad after Operation Sindoor.
The Youth Congress, in a post on X, accused Malviya and Goswami of attempting to defame the constitutional office of the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi.
'Their relentless propaganda, designed to discredit Congress leadership and incite unrest, has crossed every limit of decency and legality,' the Indian Youth Congress said. 'This is a warning to all purveyors of fake news, defaming our leaders and attacking democracy will invite strong legal and political consequences.'
🚨 Time's up for Amit Malviya and Arnab Goswami 🚨
An FIR has been filed in Karnataka under non-bailable sections against @amitmalviya and @republic Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami for defaming the constitutional office of Leader of Opposition Shri @RahulGandhi.
Their relentless… pic.twitter.com/mVpja8JR6v
— Indian Youth Congress (@IYC) May 20, 2025
The building shown in the news segment on May 15 is the Istanbul Congress Center, a convention venue owned by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Alt News reported.
Although the Indian National Congress had announced plans in 2019 to open an overseas office in Istanbul and appointed Mohammad Yusuf Khan to lead it, there have been no updates since, and Turkey is not listed on the Indian Overseas Congress website, the fact-checking website added.
Republic TV said on Tuesday that the image was mistakenly used by a video editor on the digital desk due to a 'technical error'.
'The inadvertent error occurred after the live show ended and was carried on the digital platform,' the channel said. 'The moment it was brought to our attention, it was promptly rectified. We sincerely and unconditionally regret the error.'
The Congress, however, said that an apology was not sufficient as redressal for the error.
Republic Corrigendum
— Republic (@republic) May 20, 2025
Time to face the music pic.twitter.com/m5Zxb2XRpz
— Congress (@INCIndia) May 20, 2025
After the Congress announced that the case had been filed, Malviya posted a clip from the show on his social media once again and commented: 'The FIR is for this video. Imagine.'
The FIR is for this video. Imagine. https://t.co/bRNjd8kTMs pic.twitter.com/77Vd3EkVO3
— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) May 20, 2025
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