Arnab Goswami tenders unconditional apology to former TERI chief before Delhi HC
Darpan News Desk IANS, 25 May, 2023 11:36 AM
New Delhi, May 25 (IANS) Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami has tendered his unconditional apology before the Delhi High Court in a contempt case filed by late environmentalist and former The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) chief R.K. Pachauri.
Pachauri had filed a contempt of court petition in February 2016, alleging several media houses for deliberately and contemptuously not following the court's orders restricting them from publishing sexual harassment claims against him.
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 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 recognised by this court in the aforesaid order," the affidavit further read.
When the case was filed in 2016, Goswami was with Times Now. Earlier, the Economic Times and its Senior Assistant Editor Raghav Ohri had tendered an unconditional apology in the matter.
The plea was also filed against Bennet & Coleman and former NDTV promoter Prannoy Roy. Pachauri had said that he was being subjected to a media trial and that the reports carried by the publications were defamatory and prejudiced his case.Pachauri, who passed away in 2020, was accused of sexually harassing a colleague while he led the TERI.
His plea contended that the media houses were absolutely restrained from publishing any news report or article or opinion with respect to the allegations of sexual harassment against him.
Director General of Police Punjab Gaurav Yadav identified the arrested accused as Ramjan Khan, alias Raj Hooda. He said police teams have also arrested his two accomplices -- Happy Mehla (19) and Sahil Mehla (18), both resident of Hanumangarh in Rajasthan.
In Cachar, three people were arrested with 1.80 lakh tablets used for intoxication on Sunday in the Lakhipur area in the district. Police informed that the international market value of seized tablets is around Rs 50 crore. The accused were identified as Abdul Saeed, Ibazur Rahman and Sameer Alam, all residents of the Cachar district.
Further, police teams have been sent to Tosh in Himachal Pradesh after it was revealed that he, along with his live-in partner, had stayed there for quite a long time. Aftab had strangled his live-in partner Shraddha Walkar on May 18 and then chopped her body into many pieces.
Disclosing this here today, a spokesperson for the Chief Minister's Office said the government has approved the OPS for its employees currently covered under New Pension Scheme (NPS), fulfilling a long-pending demand of employees of the state.
The affected girl students of Kasturba Gandhi College in West Maredpally, Secunderabad were hospitalised with complaints of breathlessness and dizziness. The college authorities denied that there was any gas leak from college lab. They said foul smell from garbage dump on the college boundary wall led to students falling ill.
Punjab has only two per cent of India's population, while it has nearly 10 per cent of the total licensed weapons which stand at nearly 4 lakh, or 13 gun licenses for every 1,000 persons in the state.
