Mumbai cop files defamation complaint against Arnab Goswami

A deputy commissioner of police(DCP) in Mumbai on Wednesday filed a criminal defamationcomplaint against Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswamiover the coverage of the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.

DCP Abhishek Trimukhe's complaint before a sessionscourt here also named ARG Outlier Media Private Limited whichowns Republic Media Network, and Goswami's wife as she is oneof its directors.

''There were some tweets which misrepresented Trimukhe.

He had written about it to the Maharashtra government. Thestate home department gave its sanction (to file acomplaint),'' a senior police official said.

The complaint has been filed under Indian Penal Codesections 499, 500 (defamation) and 501 (printing or engravingmatter known to be defamatory).

Goswami made ''grossly false'', ''malicious'' anddefamatory statements during the coverage of actor SushantSingh Rajput's death by suicide last year, it claimed.

These defamatory statements were telecast on thechannel Republic Bharat during a discussion about phonerecords of actor Rhea Chakraborty, Rajput's girlfriend, itsaid.

''The said defamatory attacks have been made with asingular view of assassinating his (Trimukhe's) officialcharacter and thereby...maliciously and deliberately causingundue humiliation of the Mumbai Police Department,'' thecomplaint said.

Goswami also tweeted the contents of the telecast to alarger audience, the complaint said.

When contacted, Goswami's lawyer said they had notreceived any intimation about the court complaint yet.