A Delhi court on Tuesday ordered the Delhi Police to conduct an inquiry against Times Now Group Editor-in-Chief Navika Kumar in a defamation case filed by journalist Arnab Goswami’s ARG Outlier Media Private Limited.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM) Sidhant Sihag of Patiala House court ordered the police to investigate the case under Section 202 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

The provision allows a Magistrate to postpone the issuance of process against the accused and instead order an investigation to determine whether sufficient grounds exist to proceed.

"Arguments on the point of summoning heard. Accused is stated to be residing beyond the jurisdiction of this court. Given the facts and circumstances, I deem it appropriate that an investigation be carried out in the instant matter u/s 202 CrPC / 225 BNSS," the Court ordered.

The case will be heard next on February 26.

Advocate Ayush Jindal represented AGG Outlier Media.

The complaint stemmed from a Times Now broadcast aired on January 18, 2020, during the 9 PM primetime show "The Newshour", where Kumar allegedly made defamatory statements against Goswami in connection with the alleged TRP scam.

ARG Outlier, the parent company of Republic TV, argued that Kumar’s broadcast not only made unsubstantiated remarks but also allegedly distorted the contents of the Mumbai Police chargesheet to malign Republic TV and Goswami.

The alleged TRP scam came to light in October 2020 when the Mumbai Police alleged that certain television channels were fraudulently inflating their viewership ratings.

The Mumbai Police claimed that certain channels, including Republic TV, Fakht Marathi and Box Cinema were bribing households to keep their TVs tuned into those channels regardless of whether they were watching them.

In March 2025, a magistrate court in Mumbai allowed the Mumbai Police application to withdraw the prosecution in the case.

[Read Order]