Bombay HC denies relief to Arnab, to hear his plea tomorrow

The Bombay High Court on Thursday (November 5) refused to grant interim relief to Republic TV’s editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, who has been sent to 14 days judicial custody in a 2018 abetment to suicide case after being arrested on Wednesday.

The court also posted the habeas petition filed by Goswami, challenging his arrest and remand, for hearing at 3 pm on Friday (November 6).

Observing that the court cannot pass an interim order without hearing both the sides, a bench of Justices SS Shinde and MS Karnik asked Goswami to add informant Akshata Naik and the state as parties to the plea.

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The bench also issued a notice on the petition to the state and Adnya Naik, the complainant and daughter of interior designer Anvay Naik, who committed suicide in 2018.

The bench will also hear a petition by Adnya, seeking reinvestigation of the A-summary report filed in connection with the FIR of her father’s suicide.

Senior counsel Harish Salve, who represented Goswami, sought an ad-interim release for the journalist.

Senior advocate Abad Ponda termed the investigation into the abetment to suicide case “completely illegal” and sought interim relief for Goswami.

“Commencement of new investigation after re-opening the case is contrary to well-settled principles of criminal law,” he told the Bombay High Court.

He said the ‘A’ summary filed by the police in 2019 in the abetment to suicide case was accepted by the magistrate and that remains in order. But, the police without any judicial order “suo moto intervened in the matter, for “obvious” reasons that are taking place in Maharashtra.”

He said the police has no rights to reopen the case without the court’s permission and such a step shows scant respect for the magistrate.

The bench answered, “We will have to issue notice to the state, to the complainant and we will hear the case on some other date after vacations. But there are other remedies. You can challenge the remand order.”

Related news: Explained: The 2018 suicide case against Arnab Goswami

Goswami has called his arrest “illegal” and wants all the charges quashed.

He was arrested in Mumbai on Wednesday in a case pertaining to the suicide of interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik in Alibaug in May 2018. The mother and son took the extreme step allegedly over non-payment of dues by Goswami’s channel.