‘Habitual offenders’: Congress files complaints against Malviya, Goswami for defaming party

Congress general secretary in charge for communication Jairam Ramesh told The Indian Express that the “Congress had filed criminal complaints against Amit Malviya and Arnab Goswami, which have now been converted into FIRs”.

“Now both of them will approach the court and seek protection. We hope that the courts will seriously consider the serious damage caused to the nation by the repeated and deliberate malicious acts of these habitual offenders,” said Ramesh in a post on X.

On Tuesday, Ramesh had said that the Congress was initiating action under civil and criminal laws against two individuals for spreading “lies with malice against the INC and its leadership”.

In a corrigendum published on Tuesday evening on X, Republic TV said that “an incorrect image was inadvertently used erroneously depicting a building as the Congress office in Turkey by a video editor on the digital desk due to a technical error”.

“The image had no connection to the content or context of the said video. This clip was not broadcast on Arnab Goswami’s debate show on 15th May 2025 or thereafter and was not taken on-air nor was the said erroneous image in any way related to the subject matter being discussed,” the news channel said.

It added that “the inadvertent error occurred after the live show ended and was carried on the digital platform”. “The moment it was brought to our attention, it was promptly rectified. We sincerely and unconditionally regret the error,” said the channel.

BJP IT cell head Amit Malviya, in a post on X, said: “The Congress is free to file as many lawsuits. …but that doesn’t absolve it from answering a serious question: Why did it open an office in Turkey in 2019? And why was this done just days after Turkey openly backed Pakistan at the UN on the Kashmir issue?”

FIR in Bengaluru

The High Grounds police in Bengaluru registered an FIR against Malviya and Goswami on Monday following a complaint by Shrikant Swaroop B N, head of the Indian Youth Congress legal cell. Malviya and Goswami have been booked under Sections 192 (provocation with intent to cause riot) and 352 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

According to the FIR, the two circulated a misleading claim that the Istanbul Congress Centre was an official office of the INC. In his complaint, Shrikant alleged that the misinformation campaign was a calculated attempt to malign the Congress party and manipulate public sentiment. He urged regulatory and investigative bodies — including the Press Council of India, NBDSA, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, and the CBI — to treat the case as a matter of national urgency.

(With Inputs from ENS Bengaluru)