Bengaluru, 28 March

Republic TV owner Arnab Goswami and Republic Kannada editor Niranjan were booked in State for allegedly airing false news about Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. The case was registered at Bengaluru’s SJ Park police station following a complaint filed by Congress leader Ravindra.

According to Ravindra's complaint, Republic Kannada broadcasted a news report claiming that traffic was halted on MG Road in City to make way for Siddaramaiah’s vehicle, and that an ambulance got stuck in the traffic. However, Siddaramaiah was reportedly in Mysuru at the time, not Bengaluru.

Ravindra alleged that the channel aired false news ahead of the Lok Sabha elections to wrongly influence the public. The incident has sparked controversy and raised concerns about the spread of misinformation in the media, especially during elections.

Earlier in 2020, Arnab Goswami, the editor of Republic TV, was arrested by Raigad Police in connection with the death of architect Anvay Naik, who died by suicide at his Alibaug farmhouse in 2018. Naik left behind a suicide note in which he named Goswami along with two others.