Bombay High Court To Hear Interim Bail Petition of Arnab Goswami Today

Arnab Goswami filed a petition in the Bombay High Court, terming his arrest as ‘unlawful’. He has requested to stop the investigation.

Mumbai| The Bombay High Court today will hear the interim bail petition of Arnab Goswami, editor-in-chief of Republic TV, arrested in a two-year-old case of abetment to suicide. Arnab is accused of abetting the suicide of Anvay Naik and his mother in 2018. He was arrested on Wednesday from his residence in Lower Parel, Mumbai and taken to Alibag police station in neighbouring Raigad district for allegedly abetting architect and interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother for suicide. He was then produced in a court in Alibaug, which sent him to judicial custody till 18 November.

Arnab Goswami filed a petition in the Bombay High Court, terming his arrest as ‘unlawful’. He has requested to stop the investigation, direct the police to release him and cancel the FIR lodged against him. Justice S.S. Shinde and Justice M.S. A division bench of Bombay high court directed to make Akshata Naik, the widow of complainant Anvay Naik, a defendant in the case.

The bench said, “Before considering the interim relief sought, we have to hear all the concerned parties. We will also have to listen to the complainant as the deceased’s family has filed a petition to transfer the investigation.” The court said, “The defendants (Government of Maharashtra and the complainant) are entitled to reply … We will look into the interim relief sought tomorrow.”

Arnab Goswami’s lawyer Abad Ponda said that the bail application given in Alibaug court has been withdrawn. “The magistrate did not say clearly when the bail application would be heard and he also expressed difficulty in hearing it as the matter is under the jurisdiction of the sessions court,” he said. Ponda said, “Therefore we are requesting interim bail in the High Court here.”