On the 4th of November, the Editor in Chief of Republic TV, Arnab Goswami was announced to be in remand at home for 14 days.
On the night of the 4th of November, the Alibaug Court rejected the bail plea of Arnab Goswami and asked the investigative officers to continue the investigation.
The journalist and Editor in Chief of Republic TV was arrested for allegedly abetting the suicide of an interior designer.
Arnab Goswami filed for bail and the court asked the investigation officer to file a reply.
After the arrest, Mr. Goswami was produced in a local court, which directed the police to take him to the civil hospital for a medical check up.
Post the check up, he was brought to the court for hearing on the remand. However, the court rejected his plea and announced to continue with the 14 days remand.
Arnab Goswami was arrested under sections 306 (abetment of suicide) and 34 (acts done by persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC.)
After being rejected from the local court, Arnab Goswami moved the Bombay High Court alleging that his arrest was illegal.
In his petition, Arnab Goswami said his arrest to be illegal in the 2018 case of abetment to suicide case.
In 2018, Anvay Naik, 53 year old interior designer and his mother Kumud Naik committed suicide over non payment of dues from Republic TV.
He also sought a squashing of the registered FIR against him by the Alibaug police.
The hearing would be heard by a division bench of Justices S.S. Shinde and M.S. Karnik on the 6th of November at 3:00 P.M.
The petition filed by Mr. Goswami’s lawyer read, “He is wrongly and illegally arrested in a motivated, false and closed case. This is another attempt of political witch-hunt and vendetta politics against the petitioner and his channel. 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.”
In 2018, the interior designer and his mother committed suicide for non payment of dues from the Republic TV.
However, the case was closed by the Alibaug Court and Alibaug Police in 2019 April.
Recently, Anil Deshmukh, the Home Minister of Maharashtra, directed the State police to reopen the case and start an investigation.
Over the reopening of the case, the lawyer representing Arnab Goswami said, “It is shocking that a decisively closed case 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.”
According to sources, Arnab Goswami is currently at a local school which has been designated as a COVID-19 centre for the Alibaug prison.
The Bombay High Court heard the Habeas Corpus petition filed by Mr. Goswami.
However, the hearing for the day concluded and the matter has been adjourned to the next day.
The next hearing regarding the interim reliefs would be heard on the 6th of November at 3:00 P.M.
Stay tuned for further updates.
