Arnab has told HC he will comply with employment contract: Sources

Close on the heels of the Delhi High Court refusing to grant any injunction to Bennett, Coleman & Co Ltd (BCCL) against Republic TV in the IPR infringement case, industry sources said that Arnab Goswami and Prema Sridevi, former employees of BCCL, have said that they would comply with their employment contract. 

Justice J Manmohan hearing the case was of the view that the employment agreement between the parties would have to be upheld and the defendants (Arnab Goswami and Prema Sridevi) could not be permitted to breach that. Industry sources said that the lawyers for the defendants stated that the ex-employees have no intention of violating the same. The Judge took this statement on record. 

In his order, Justice Manmohan said, “Since a grievance has been raised with regard to a publication of a story in the plaintiff’s (BCCL) newspaper in connection with the present case, this Court directs that till the present suit is pending, none of the parties to the suit shall report or publish any news item with regard to it except reproducing the Court order.” He also clarified that the present restraint order shall not operate against third party publication or news channels or social media. 

The court, while admitting the matter against ARG Outlier Media Asianet News and Arnab Goswami, granted them six weeks’ time to file their written statement in the matter. 

As is known, BCCL on May 16, 2017 had lodged a complaint against Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami and Prema Sridevi for “theft, criminal breach of trust, misappropriation of property and infringement of IPR of BCCL” by using the audio tapes containing phone conversations between Lalu Prasad Yadav and Shahabuddin, as well as phone conversations between Prema Sridevi and late Sunanda Pushkar and their house help Narayan.