The Karnataka High Court has quashed the criminal proceedings against BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya and Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami over allegations that they circulated misleading information claiming that the Indian National Congress (INC) had an office in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Justice M. Nagaprasanna allowed the petitions filed by Malviya and Goswami, who had challenged the criminal case arising from the controversy. A detailed order is awaited.

The case began with a complaint filed by Congress worker BN Shrikanth Swaroop, who alleged that the two participated in a campaign to spread false information that the Indian National Congress (INC) has an office in Istanbul, Turkey.

The High Court had earlier stayed the proceedings in May 2025 while considering the petitions seeking quashing of the case.

How the controversy began

The controversy began when Republic TV aired visuals on May 15, 2025, depicting the Istanbul Congress Center as an INC office. On May 17, 2025, Malviya shared a video on social media questioning whether the Congress party maintained a registered office in Türkiye.

He wrote: "Did you know that the Congress Party has a registered office in Turkey? Can Rahul Gandhi explain what necessitated this move? This is bizarre and inexplicable on multiple levels. India deserves to know. Remember: the enemy’s friend is an enemy too."

The claim triggered controversy after it emerged that the building shown was the Istanbul Congress Centre and not an office of the Indian National Congress. The Congress party's overseas unit also denied having a physical office in Türkiye.

The complainant alleged that the social media post and television content formed part of a coordinated effort to mislead the public, damage the Congress party's reputation and exploit nationalist sentiment.

The complaint resulted in criminal proceedings against Malviya and Goswami under Sections 192 and 352 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023. Section 192 concerns wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause a riot, while Section 352 deals with intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace.

Arnab Goswami cited technical error in Republic TV's digital version

In his petition, Goswami contended that the disputed image appeared in the digital version of a Republic TV programme for approximately four seconds because of a technical error. His plea stated that the visual was not part of the original live broadcast and that junior members of the channel's digital desk later added it to the online version.

The petition further stated that the channel removed the image and issued a corrigendum on May 20, 2025, acknowledging the error and expressing regret.

Goswami argued that the criminal proceedings had been initiated without proper examination of the material and claimed that the action was politically motivated.

Malviya also challenged the criminal case, disputing the allegations and contending that the proceedings against him were politically motivated.

High Court had earlier stayed proceedings

In May 2025, another Bench of the Karnataka High Court, comprising Justice S. Rachaiah, had granted an interim stay on the criminal proceedings against Malviya and Goswami while their petitions were pending.

The two petitioners subsequently continued to challenge the criminal case, seeking its quashing.

Allowing their petitions, Justice M. Nagaprasanna has now quashed the criminal proceedings against both individuals.