No interim relief for Arnab Goswami, HC to continue hearing case tomorrow
Appearing for Arnab Goswami, leading advocate Harish Salve submitted that there are several cases filed against his client as he is a journalist and that he should be released. Salve asked, "Will heavens fall on Maharashtra if he is released on interim?"
FollowRepublic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on Thursday failed to get interim relief from the Bombay High Court with regard to his plea challenging his "illegal arrest".
The bench of Justices SS Shinde and MS Karnik said it would will hear both the sides and pass an appropriate order on Friday.
On Friday, the bench will also hear a plea by Adnya Anvay Naik, daughter of late interior designer Anvay Naik, seeking reinvestigation of the A-summary report filed in connection with the FIR of her father’s suicide case.
The bench asked Arnab Goswami's legal team to add informant Akshata Naik and state government as party to his plea.
The bench noted that before passing any interim order, they would like to hear the family of the interior designer Anvay Naik who died by suicide in 2018, as well as the state.
Appearing for Arnab Goswami, leading advocate Harish Salve submitted that there are several cases filed against his client as he is a journalist and that he should be released.
Salve asked, "Will heavens fall on Maharashtra if he is released on interim?"
Senior advocate Abad Ponda, also representing Arnab Goswami, termed the investigation into the abetment to suicide case 'completely illegal'.
Arnab Goswami was arrested on Wednesday from his residence at Lower Parel in Mumbai for allegedly abetting the suicide of Anvay Naik, and was later in the remanded to 14-day judicial custody by the magistrate's court in Alibaug.
The Republic TV editor-in-chief is currently kept at a local school which has been designated as a Covid-19 centre for the Alibaug prison.Â
In his petition, Goswami stated that he was "wrongly and illegally arrested in a motivated, false and closed case."Â
"This is another attempt of a political witch-hunt and vendetta politics against the petitioner and his channel," the petition said, adding, "The arrest was conducted in blatant violation of the fundamental rights to life and personal liberty of the petitioner (Goswami) and his dignity. The petitioner and his son were assaulted and dragged into the police van when Goswami was arrested."
"It is shocking that a case that was decisively closed has been reopened with the sole purpose of misusing power, concocting facts and forcibly arresting the petitioner in a prime facie act of revenge and vengeance for his news coverage which questioned those in power in Maharashtra," the petition added.
