Arnab Goswami moves SC for bail; hearing on Wednesday

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 10

Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on Tuesday moved the Supreme Court against the Bombay High Court’s order denying him interim bail in a two-year-old abetment to suicide case.

In his petition filed in the top court, Goswami – currently lodged in Taloja jail—has challenged the November 9 order of the high court that asked him to approach the sessions court for regular bail. 

Goswami’s petition has been listed before a Vacation Bench of Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Indira Banerjee which will take it up at 10.30 am Wednesday.

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The Bombay High Court had on Monday rejected the interim bail pleas of Goswami and two others in connection with the alleged abetment to suicide of an interior designer and had asked them to approach the sessions court.

It had also rejected the interim bail pleas of two other accused Feroze Shaikh and Nitish Sarda, saying, “no case has been made out for us (court) to exercise our extraordinary jurisdiction”.

Besides the Maharashtra government, Goswami has made the Centre, the Alibaug police station SHO, Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh and Akshyata Anvay Naik parties to his appeal.

The Maharashtra government has filed a caveat in the top court to pre-empt any ex-parte order on Goswami’s petition.

Goswami was arrested on November 4 from his Lower Parel residence in Mumbai and taken to Alibaug in Raigad district in connection with the suicide of architect-interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother in 2018 over alleged non-payment of dues by companies of the accused.

Supreme Court Bar Association president Dushyant Dave questioned the urgent listing of Goswami's petition by the Supreme Court Registry.

Dave wrote to the Supreme Court Secretary General asking if there was any special direction from CJI SA Bobde to urgently list all cases filed by Goswami while similar matters take longer for getting listed.