Republic TV Editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami has moved the Supreme Court on Tuesday challenging the Bombay High Court order that denied him interim bail in the 2018 abetment to suicide case of interior designer Anvay Naik. On Monday, the Bombay HC had asked Arnab to move session court for regular bail.
A Bombay HC division bench comprising Justices SS Shinde and MS Karnik had ruled that Arnab can apply for regular bail from a lower court and that there is no extraordinary reason for the Bombay HC to interfere in this case. “Any observations made by us in the present order will not affect the hearing of the bail application filed before the Sessions Court”.
The Bombay HC bench, refusing to quash the investigation against Arnab in the abetment to suicide case said that the ple for teh same will be taken up on December 10. The court also refused to admit Arnab’s objection against reopening of the suicide case by the Raigad Police after the same was closed on 16/04/2019. The court further observed that reopening of the case "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."
Meanwhile, a statement from the Maharashtra Raj Bhawan released on behalf of the Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari urged for permission for Arnab to speak to his family. “Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari spoke to Maharashtra’s Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and conveyed to him his concern over the security and health of news anchor and editor-in-chief of Republic Media Network Arnab Goswami. The Governor also asked the Home Minister to allow the family of Arnab Goswami to see him and to speak to him. The Governor had earlier conveyed his concern over the manner of arrest of Arnab Goswami to the State Home Minister,” the statement said.
Arnab Goswami was arrested from his Mumbai residence on November 4 in relation to the 2018 abetment to suicide case of suicide of architect-interior designer Anvay Naik and the death of his mother in 2018 over alleged non-payment of dues by companies of the accused. He was lodged in Alibaug Government School which has been turned into a quarantine centre and was moved to Taloja Central Jail in Navi Mumbai by officials citing security reasons after Raigad Crime Branch reportedly found Arnab using a mobile phone to access social media while in judicial custody.