HC refuses to restrain Arnab from airing Pushkar death news

Agencies
September 8, 2017

New Delhi, Sept 8: The Delhi High Court today refrained from passing any interim order restraining TV journalist Arnab Goswami and his news channel Republic TV from airing any news or debate in connection with Shashi Tharoor's wife Sunanda Pushkar's death case.

Justice Manmohan issued a notice to Goswami and the channel and sought their responses on Tharoor's plea to restrain them from allegedly misreporting the contents of court proceedings related to Pushkar's death.

The court said the matter required a detailed hearing and only after that, a detailed order could be passed on it.

It also observed that the Congress leader has not shown any law by which investigation cannot be done by the journalist.

"Show me that after the first date of hearing (May 29), he (Goswami) has called you a murderer," the judge said, adding "I cannot dictate what should be the editorial policy of a news channel".

"Not (any interim order) at this point," the court said and directed Goswami, Republic TV to file their responses with regard to Tharoor's application seeking direction not to make any defamatory publication against him in any manner.

The Congress leader has alleged that after the last date of hearing on August 16, the journalist and his channel continued to indulge in misreporting and had broadcast an 8- hour programme on September 4 related to his wife's death.

Tharoor moved a fresh application through advocate Gaurav Gupta in the pending Rs 2 crore civil defamation suit filed against Goswami and the Republic TV for allegedly making defamatory remarks against him while airing news on the death of Pushkar.

Senior advocate Sandeep Sethi, appearing for Goswami and the channel, opposed Tharoor's fresh application saying "we have not made any accusations while airing the news."

Pushkar was found dead in a suite of a five-star hotel in South Delhi on the night of January 17, 2014. The matter is still under investigation.

In their affidavit filed before the high court, the journalist and the channel said they have neither "condemned" Tharoor, nor suggested that he was involved in the death of his wife Pushkar.

They have also denied that Tharoor was called "the killer" of his wife by him or the channel, as alleged by the Congress MP.

The politician has alleged that despite assurances given in the court on May 29 by the counsel for Goswami and Republic TV, they were engaged in "defaming and maligning" him.

The Congress leader had also sought direction to them that they should not mention the expression "murder of Sunanda Pushkar" anywhere since it is yet to be established by a competent court whether her death was "murder".

The court had on May 29 said the journalist and his news channel could put out stories stating the facts related to the investigation of Pushkar's death, but could not call the Lok Sabha MP from Thiruvananthapuram a "criminal". It had also told their counsel to reduce the rhetoric.

Comments

Justice
 - 
Friday, 8 Sep 2017

Arnab COWswami should be punished

Suresh
 - 
Friday, 8 Sep 2017

 

Arnab Goswami seems to be on PMO assignment, no court can restrict him. On the other hand court is asking Maya Kodnani to bring Amit Shah, the fugitive who is untraceable. Why does court not order the police to bring Amit Shah to court?

Das
 - 
Friday, 8 Sep 2017

Sashi Tharoor is always complaining and maligning people. For once, he is on the receiving block and from no less than Arnab Goswami. Let the truth be revealed.

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News Network
February 28,2020

Suhaana shuddered with fear as she heard violent banging on her door on Sunday. The atmosphere was charged with communal tension after thousands of ruthless goons supporting contentious Citizens Amendment Act (CAA) launched a bloody onslaught against Muslims in the capital of India.

The family consists of Suhaana (name changed), her partially paralysed husband and two daughters. They are the only Muslim family in Madhuban mohalla of North Ghonda locality in north-east Delhi.

Hearts pounded louder than pounding of the door. Then the banging stopped and noises of men talking loudly came.

"I peeped out from a small window near the kitchen and saw our neighbours standing outside our entrance and arguing with 10-15 unknown people," Suhaana said.

It was the first day of the communal violence, worst in the decades, that fanned out to the entire north-east Delhi over the next three days and claimed at least 42 lives, left over 200 injured and properties worth crores destroyed. The death toll is feared to go up.

Later in the night Suhaana's family moved to one of their Hindu neighbour's house. There are about 30 Hindu households in the mohalla who kept vigil as the atmosphere deteriorated.

The next day, the violence escalated. The neighbours decided to shift Suhaana 's family to Gautampuri for their safety.

Suhaana recounted, "Our neighbours assured us that they are with us but as things were deteriorating, they said they wouldn't be able to protect us if a big mob of hundreds came. They advised us to move to the nearby Gautampuri locality and come back only after things become normal."

Rajkumar Bharadwaj brought the family to Gautampuri in the early hours on February 25.

Anil Gupta, 49, said, "It was tough to rescue them. We were asked by the rioters as to why we were saving the Muslims. But we had to, it is the people of my country who are suffering. It cannot be Hindus or Muslims."

Rajkumar Bharadwaj said, "Their youngest clung to me throughout. After I brought them here at Gautampuri, I felt good. Situation till then was not okay."

On Saturday, some semblance of normalcy returned to parts of north-east Delhi with some people opening their shops amid heavy police presence.

Meanwhile, the morbid sight outside GTB Hospital's mortuary, agonising groans in the hospital wards burnt down houses and shops remind Suhaana and others what they have been spared of.

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News Network
June 5,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 5: An earthquake of magnitude 4.0 on the Richter Scale jolted Karnataka on Friday morning while another with a magnitude of 4.7 was felt in Jharkhand.

The tremors were felt in Hampi (Karnataka) and Jamshedpur (Jharkhand), according to the National Center for Seismology (NCS).

According to NCS, the aftershocks were felt at 6:55 am in both the places today.

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News Network
March 27,2020

Thiruvanathapuram, Mar 27: The state is heading for its worst ever crisis with coronavirus cases increasing rapidly and Kasargod district the worst hit. On Friday alone 39 positive cases were reported in the state of which 34 are from Kasargod.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the situation is grave and Kasargod has been the worst hit. More than the positive cases reported in the district, the worrying factor is that many people have come into contact with these positive cases.

The chief minister warned that the government will be forced to declare the names of the people who are defying the quarantine guidelines in the district. More people have been put under risk in the district and the district administration is much concerned since the results of 215 samples are yet to come.

There is no other way but to tighten the restrictions imposed in the district against the people coming out of their houses. The government has decided to provide more facilities to the hospitals in Kasargod and Kannur to meet an emergency.

The medical college hospital in Kannur will be converted into a coronavirus hospital with 200 bed strength. Steps have been taken to equip the medical college hospital with more facilities. The Central University at kasargood will be converted into as a temporary coronavirus treatment centre. 

The state has also requested permission from ICMR to begin the testing facility here, said the chief minister.

The total number of positive cases reported in the state have now become 176 of which 12 have been discharged after testing negative. At present 164 positive people are admitted in several hospitals of the state.

On Friday of the 39 positive cases, two are from Kannur and one each from Thrissur, Kollam and Kozhikode. With this all the districts in the state have been now affected with coronavirus.

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