The Delhi High Court on Friday sought Republic TV and its founder Arnab Goswami’s reply on a petition filed by senior Congress leader Shashi Tharoor against the channel’s alleged misreporting on his wife Sunanda Pushkar’s death. “Arnab Goswami and the channel have to respect Tharoor’s right to silence on the issue,” the bench said.

Tharoor had filed a defamation case against the news anchor on May 26 after Republic TV had aired what it called an exposé connected to Pushkar’s case. Goswami’s new venture had broadcast what it claimed were audio tapes between one of the channel’s reporters and one of Tharoor’s aides. Republic TV had claimed that the tapes proved that Pushkar’s body had been moved from one room to another at the Leela Palace Hotel in Delhi on January 17, 2014, the night she had died.

The Congress leader had denounced the segment, calling it a publicity stunt to “create attention” for the channel. On May 29, the High Court had told Goswami and Republic TV that they could report facts on Pushkar’s death, but could not call the politician names.