There was no immediate relief for Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, arrested in a 2018 abetment of suicide case, on Friday as the hearing on his interim bail plea before the Bombay High Court remained incomplete.
A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and MS Karnik heard senior advocates Harish Salve and Abad Ponda, appearing for Arnab, they would continue the hearing on Saturday because of lack of time. "We will assemble for this matter specially, tomorrow noon," the court said.
Appearing for Arnab, senior advocate Harish Salve said that the case against Arnab has been re-opened with “malicious intentions” and that it is a “continuing case of harassing" Arnab. “It is clear that the state is acting in malice,” Harish Salve told the court.
Salve further argued that just the theory that Arnab will "go back to the TV channel and scream" against Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh is "no ground to keep him in custody."
Salve : There is a prima facie finding of the Magistrate before you that the arrest is illegal. The root is tainted with illegality. This should weigh with your lordships. The whole thing is mala fide.#ArnabGoswami #RepublicTV #BombayHC
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) November 6, 2020
Goswami was arrested from his residence in Mumbai on Wednesday and taken to Alibaug, where a case has been registered against him for alleged abetment of suicide of architect Anvay Naik and his mother over non-payment of dues by Goswami's firm.
Arnab has been remanded in judicial custody till November 18. Goswami is presently lodged in a school in Alibaug which is designated as a COVID-19 centre for the Alibaug jail.
Based on a complaint by Akshata Naik, the Alibaug Police had registered the FIR in 2018 after her husband (Anvay) and mother-in-law (Kumud Naik) committed suicide on May 5 that year. In a suicide note, Naik had named three persons - Republic TV's Arnab for defaulting on payment of Rs 83 lakh, Feroz Shaikh of IcastX/Skimedia for defaulting Rs 4 crore and Nitesh Sarda of Smartworks for not paying Rs 55 lakh.
While Arnab was nabbed from his Worli home, Shaikh and Sarda were arrested from the Mumbai suburbs in the same case. The Naik mother-daughter duo has welcomed the police decision saying they are finally hopeful of getting justice.
Meanwhile, hearing Arnab's plea against the privilege motion filed against him by the Maharashtra Assembly, the Supreme Court granted him interim protection from arrest and also issued a show cause notice to the Maharashtra Assembly's Secretary for his letter questioning Arnab for showing documents from the Assembly in the Supreme Court.
Read more details here: SC issues notice to Maharashtra Assembly Secy for ‘intimidating’ Arnab Goswami
With agency inputs