Journalist Arnab Goswami (Left) and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanaian Swamy (Right) Journalist Arnab Goswami (Left) and Rajya Sabha MP Subramanaian Swamy (Right)

Rajya Sabha member and BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has written a letter to the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting questioning the use of the name ‘Republic’ by journalist Arnab Goswami for his upcoming news channel.

In the letter dated January 13, Swamy said that use of certain ‘names and emblems are prohibited from being used under the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950 for professional and commercial purposes’.

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“As per the schedule accompanying the statute, under Item 6, there is an express prohibition from using the phrase, ‘Republic’. Hence, the grant of licence to a news channel to broadcast under the name of ‘Republic’ will be contrary to law and a direct breach of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act, 1950,” he said in the letter.

Goswami, who rose to fame with his fiery prime time debate show on Times Now, announced the launch of his new channel in December, a month after he resigned from his post of Editor in Chief on November 1.

Reports suggest that the channel will start airing ahead of upcoming Assembly elections in five states. The channel is already running a Twitter and Facebook account under the name ‘Republic’ which collectively have a following of around 1,00,000.

Republic will be part of a company called ARG Outlier Media Private Limited. Goswami was appointed managing director of ARG Outlier on November 19. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, a member of the Rajya Sabha and vice-chairman of the NDA in Kerala, is one of the largest investors and a director in the venture. He, through companies owned by him, has invested over Rs 30 crore in ARG Outlier.

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