An Alibaug court on Monday allowed Alibaug police to question Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami for three hours every day. Arnab is currently in judicial custody at the Taloja Jail in Mumbai and the police can question him in jail. The Alibaug Chief Judicial Magistrate was hearing a revision application filed by the Alibaug police seeking custody of Arnab Goswami to question him in connection with the case.
Earlier at 3 pm, the Bombay High Court had dismissed Arnab’s interim bail application and had said that Arnab can seek regular bail from a lower court. Shortly before the hearing in the Bombay HC, Arnab had filed the regular bail application in the sessions court. The High Court, while refusing to grant interim bail, had added that the observations it had made in this case would not affect the trial in the sessions court and that the lower court will be hearing his plea independently.
It, however, also observed that opening of a reinvestigation into the case was not illegal. The court said that opening of the investigation "cannot be said to be irregular or illegal by any stretch of imagination. The victim’s rights are equally important like the rights of the accused."
Goswami and two others were arrested by Alibaug police on November 4 in connection with the suicide of architect-interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother’s death in 2018 over alleged non-payment of dues by companies of the accused.
After his arrest from his residence in Mumbai, Goswami was taken to Alibaug, where the Chief Judicial Magistrate refused to remand him in police custody. The magistrate's court remanded Goswami and the two others in judicial custody till November 18.
Goswami was initially kept at a local school which has been designated as a COVID-19 centre for the Alibaug prison. On Sunday, he was shifted to the Taloja jail in Raigad district after allegedly being found using a mobile phone while in judicial custody.
With PTI inputs