NEW DELHI| JULY 7 2025 — Congress leader Pawan Khera has filed a defamation case against Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami for allegedly defamatory remarks made on live television, where Goswami accused the Indian National Congress (INC) of siding with the “enemy of the nation” during Operation Sindoor.
The matter was heard briefly today by Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav.
ALLEGED DEFAMATORY STATEMENT
According to Khera, Goswami made the statement during a broadcast on Republic TV while India was engaged in conflict with Pakistan. Goswami allegedly said:
“As of now the party is with enemy of the nation, if you are a congress voter, are you also an enemy of the nation.”
COURT OBSERVATIONS
The Court noted that Pawan Khera had filed the defamation suit in his personal capacity, whereas the allegedly defamatory statement was directed at the Congress party as an entity. Therefore, Justice Kaurav directed Khera to amend his plaint accordingly.
Khera’s counsel informed the Court that they would file an amended memo of parties and revise the plea to address this concern.
APPEARANCE FOR ARNAB GOSWAMI
Senior Advocate Mahesh Jethmalani, appearing for Goswami, submitted that they had not yet been served with a copy of the suit.
In response, Justice Kaurav clarified:
“We have not issued summons to you. We will hear you after summons are issued to you.”
NEXT STEPS
The Court stated that the next date of hearing would be fixed after Khera files the amended plea.
