ARNAB GOSWAMI Vs. SRATE OF WEST BENGAL

JUDGEMENT

(1.) The present criminal revision has been preferred praying for quashing of the impugned criminal proceeding being Phoolbagan P.S. Case No. 99/2020 dtd. 22/4/2020 under Sec. 153A/153- B/500/504/120B of the Indian Penal Code and notices dtd. 19/11/2021 and 1/4/2022, issued to the petitioner no. 1 under Sec. 41-A of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973.

(2.) The petitioners' case in short is that the petitioner no. 1 is the Editorin- Chief of the Republic Media Network. It owns and operates the Republic Media Network. The Network owns and operates news channels in English (Republic TV), Hindi (R. Bharat) and Bangla (R. Bangla) genres. The petitioner no. 2, media network is a news media organization.

(3.) The FIR pertains to the news debate aired on Republic TV on 21/4/2020 at about 9 P.M. in the show called "The Debate" ("Broadcast") and a comment made by a panelist (Mr. Subhojit Ghosh) during the Broadcast. The Broadcast was aired live on Republic TV.