Delhi Court Orders Probe Against Times Now Editor-in-Chief Navika Kumar in Arnab Goswami Defamation Case

The direction was passed by Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Siddhant Sihag of Patiala House Courts, who invoked powers under Section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and Section 225 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023.

These provisions empower a magistrate to defer issuance of summons when the accused resides outside the court’s jurisdiction and instead order a preliminary investigation.

“Arguments on the point of summoning heard. Accused is stated to be residing beyond the jurisdiction of this court. Given the facts and circumstances, I deem it appropriate that an investigation be carried out in the instant matter u/s 202 CrPC / 225 BNSS. Copy of this order be sent to the concerned SHO for necessary action. Report be filed by the IO on or before NDOH,” the court said.

The matter has been listed for further hearing on February 26, 2026.

The complaint stems from a Times Now broadcast aired on January 18, 2020, during the prime-time show The Newshour. ARG Outlier Media alleged that Kumar made a series of defamatory and unsubstantiated statements against Goswami in relation to the alleged Television Rating Points (TRP) manipulation scam. The company further claimed that Kumar misrepresented the contents of the Mumbai Police chargesheet in a deliberate attempt to malign both Goswami and Republic TV.

The alleged TRP scam first surfaced in October 2020, when Mumbai Police accused certain TV channels, including Republic TV, Fakht Marathi, and Box Cinema, of illegally inflating TRPs by paying households to keep their televisions tuned to specific channels. However, in March 2025, a Mumbai magistrate court permitted the withdrawal of prosecution in the TRP scam, effectively ending the criminal proceedings.

Despite that closure, ARG Outlier Media has pursued defamation proceedings, contending that the reputational damage caused by Kumar’s statements on national television was independent of the outcome of the TRP investigation.

Previously, the Court had extended the interim order for protection. The Counsel had referred to Nupur Sharma case, where it was stated that all interim orders would continue, and the same to be applied here as well. However, the Supreme Court questioned the respondents (original petitioners) the rationale of multiple FIRs from the same cause. And whether their FIR had something new.

The plea was filed by Navika Kumar seeking direction to quash various FIRs registered against her throughout India, pertaining to the TIMES NOW TV Debate telecasted on May 26, 2022, with Nupur Sharma. The television anchor has been charged in relation to remarks made by Nupur Sharma, former BJP spokeswoman, against Prophet Muhammad during the debate hosted by Navika Kumar. Kumar had asked for the cases to be dismissed or combined and sent to one State. FIRs against her have been filed in States including Maharashtra, West Bengal, Delhi, and Jammu & Kashmir.