The High Court of Delhi has discharged NDTV Founder Prannoy Roy, Managing Director and Editor-in-chief of Republic TV Arnab Goswami, Economic Times and Senior Editor of Economic Times Raghav Ohri, in a contempt petition filed by former Executive Vice Chairman of The Energy and Resources Institute, R.K. Pachauri, in 2016.
The Single-Judge Bench of Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh Arora discharged the accused on May 22, after accepting their written unconditional apology.
The order was passed on a contempt plea filed by Pachauri against the accused, charging them with ‘fragrant’ and ‘willful disobedience’ of the court’s earlier orders restricting them from publishing certain claims against the TERI official.
In an affidavit submitted before the High Court on April 29, Arnab tendered his unconditional apology over the incident and requested the High Court to close the instant proceedings against him. Goswami was with Times Now when the case was filed in 2016.
Calling himself a law-abiding and respectable citizen of the country, Goswami said he held all courts in high esteem and had the highest respect for the Delhi High Court.
He further said that he had no intention to commit any act/omission amounting to disobedience much less, wilful disobedience of the orders of this Court.
Filed through Advocate Aman Avinav, the affidavit contended that the alleged broadcasts were done under the bona fide belief that the same were not prohibited in terms of order passed by the High Court on February 18, 2015.
As per Goswami, the alleged broadcasts were made as part of fair reporting in view of liberty under Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution.
Appearing for Goswami, Senior Advocate Malvika Trivedi had submitted the affidavit before the High Court on April 29.
The Counsel representing Raghav Ohri submitted that an affidavit tendering his unconditional apology had been filed, without entering into the merits of the allegations raised in the matter in order to put up a quietus to the controversy.
The High Court was apprised that a similar affidavit was also filed on behalf of The Economic Times. Justice Arora further dismissed the plea against Prannoy Roy on merits.