Srinagar: The Chief Judicial Magistrate Court on Saturday issued a non-bailable warrant Republic TV’s Managing Director, Editor-in-Chief and Co-founder Arnab Goswami, along with three others with regards to a criminal defamation suit filled by PDP leader Naeem Akhtar, according to reports.
A Srinagar court has issued the direction on a criminal defamation suit filed by PDP leader Naeem Akhtar. Akhtar had filed a petition in this case before the court on November 16, 2018. In the petition, Akhtar had accused Goswami along with former PDP MLA Molvi Abid Ansari, Republic TV correspondents Zishan Fazil, Aditya Raj Koul and BJP activist Khalid Jehangir of levelling fabricated corruption charges against him. Akhtar had also accused Arnab Goswami and others of spreading reprehensible content against them.
On Saturday, defense counsel Ershad Ahmed had told the court that after following the terrorist attack in Pulwama, the three cannot personally appear. Due to some reasons, it is difficult for Fazil to appear before the court.
After the hearing, the Chief Judicial Magistrate’s court dismissed the defense plea saying that the accused had to appear before the court and deposit their security bonds. The court also said, ‘The record shows that during this period the accused was discharging their correspondence responsibilities. Apart from this, the journalists are constantly reporting in these conditions in the valley. Hence, the reasons given by the defendant in the petition is not proper.
The court issued a non-bailable warrant against the Arnab and three others and has ordered the concerned Superintendent of Police to present the accused on March 23 in the court.
Earlier, TheCitizen had quoted Akhtar’s counsel saying, “Abid chose not to appear before the court after which an arrest warrant was issued against him while Khalid Jahangir appeared before the court and submitted bail bonds. The case has been listed for recording of statement on February 9”.
