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Synopsis

While noting that Managing Director and Editor-in-chief of Republic TV Arnab Goswami has tendered an "unconditional apology" the Delhi High Court recently discharged him in a contempt case filed against him by former TERI Chief, late RK Pachauri.

Goswami's affidavit read: "I hereby tender my apology to this Hon'ble Court and request that this Hon'ble Court may graciously be pleased to accept the apology and close the instant proceedings against the deponent."

The affidavit further read that Goswami is a respectable citizen of the country, who abides by the law and holds all courts in high esteem.

"I had no intention to commit any act/omission amounting to disobedience much less, wilful disobedience of the orders of this Court. I say that the alleged broadcasts were done under the bona fide belief that the same was not prohibited in terms of the order passed by this Hon'ble Court on 18.02.2015 passed in C.S. (OS) 425 of 2015. The alleged broadcasts were made as part of fair reporting in view of the liberty under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India as recognized by this court in the aforesaid order," Goswami’s affidavit stated.

“Upon a perusal of the contents of the said article, this Court is satisfied that there is no violation of the ad-interim order dated 18.02.2015. The stand of the deceased Petitioner as regards the complaint of the aggrieved person is duly reported therein. Pertinently, the content of the said article dated 14.02.2016 duly records the denial of the allegations by the deceased Petitioner. The contents of the article would fall within the realm of fair reporting. Accordingly, the present petition against Respondent no. 4 is dismissed”, Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora said in an order dated May 22.

After accepting the written unconditional apology, the single-judge bench discharged Arnab Goswami, Economic Times, and its Senior Assistant Editor, Raghav Ohri.

“The present petition is accordingly dismissed along with pending applications, if any”, the court ordered.

Notably, in April, Goswami had informed the Court that he will tender an unconditional apology in the contempt case.

Pachauri filed a petition for contempt of court in February 2016 against multiple media organizations for violating court orders that prohibited the publication of sexual harassment accusations against him in a deliberate and contemptuous manner.

According to the petitioner, the media was holding a trial against him, and the articles they published were both damaging to his case and defamatory. The present petition was filed when Arnab Goswami was the editor of Times Now and Prannoy Roy was the executive co-chairperson of NDTV.

Case Title: Dr. Rajendra Kumar Pachauri v. Indu Jain & Ors.