The Delhi High Court on Tuesday issued summons to Republic TV Editor Arnab Goswami in a defamation case filed by the Congress over his claim that the Indian Opposition party had an office in Turkey, Bar and Bench reported.

The bench of Justice Mini Pushkarna refused to pass any interim order in the matter, observing that the comment had been made during a broadcast in May.

The matter will be next heard on May 19.

During a news segment on the TV channel on May 15, Goswami had falsely claimed that the Istanbul Congress Center is an office of the Indian National Congress. The building shown during the show is a convention centre owned by the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, Alt News reported.

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The Bengaluru Police had at the time booked Goswami and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s publicity chief Amit Malviya on a separate complaint by an Indian Youth Congress leader. The first information report had been registered under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot and intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace.

The Karnataka High Court had at the time stayed the case.

The complainant had alleged that the claim was made “with clear and undeniable criminal intent to deceive the Indian public”, defame the party, manipulate nationalist sentiments and undermine national security and democratic integrity”.

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The complainant had also alleged that the claims were made in the context of tense relations between India and Turkey because of Ankara’s support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor.

Republic TV said in May that the image had been mistakenly used by a video editor on the digital desk due to a “technical error”.

However, the Congress said that an apology was not sufficient as redressal for the error.