Amit Malviya, Arnab Goswami Get Interim Relief in Congress-Turkey Office Controversy

On May 22, 2025, the Karnataka High Court issued an interim stay on criminal proceedings initiated against BJP IT Cell head Amit Malviya and Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami. The case pertains to allegations of disseminating false information suggesting that the Indian National Congress (INC) has an office in Istanbul, Turkey.

Justice S. Rachaiah passed an interim order staying the FIRs against Malviya and Goswami, pending further hearings.

The court acknowledged the petitions filed by both individuals seeking to quash the cases, with their legal representatives arguing that the complaints were politically motivated and lacked substantive evidence.

The controversy began when Republic TV aired visuals on May 15, 2025, depicting the Istanbul Congress Center as an INC office. This segment was shared by Amit Malviya on social media, leading to public outcry and multiple complaints.

The Indian Youth Congress filed FIRs against both individuals, accusing them of orchestrating a “criminally motivated campaign” to defame the party and incite unrest, especially amidst strained India-Turkey relations following Operation Sindoor.

Republic TV later issued a corrigendum, attributing the use of the incorrect image to a technical error by a video editor and clarifying that the segment was not part of Arnab Goswami's debate show.

Senior Advocate Prabhuling Navadgi & Aruna Shyam represented Arnab Goswami and Amit Malviya.