Arnab Goswami has been detained in a Zilla Parishad school in Raigad (Archive)
Mumbai:
Republic TV promoter Arnab Goswami will have to spend more time in jail as the Bombay High Court postponed hearing on his request for interim measures until Saturday. The court will resume hearing the case at noon on Saturday in a special session when the court goes on vacation. On Friday, the court heard arguments from Goswami’s lawyers, but was unable to hear the other parties due to lack of time.
A division bench of Judge SS Shinde and Judge MS Karnik will hear the petition of the defendant, the state government and Anvay Naik’s family. Arnab Goswami’s lawyers have been pushing for interim relief so that Mr. Goswami can be released from jail in addition to having the FIR against him annulled. Mr. Goswami has been held in a Zilla Parishad school in Raigad, which has been turned into a quarantine center for detainees.
Arnab Goswami will only be released from jail when the High Court grants him provisional relief or when he obtains a bond from an appropriate court. The Chief Judicial Magistrate had rejected the police request for police custody and had made certain observations on the legality of the case against Arnab Goswami and even on the legality of his detention. Police have challenged that order in the Court of Sessions as they are pushing for interrogation in custody as part of the investigation. Arnab Goswami has been placed in judicial custody for 14 days by the Chief Judge in Alibaug.
The case dates back to 2018, when Avnay Naik, an architect and interior designer, committed suicide and named Arnab Goswami and two other people on a suicide note. The case was closed earlier when the BJP was in power in the state after police told a court that there was no evidence to proceed against the defendants and prosecute them. Mr. Naik’s family appealed to the government saying that the investigation had failed and the government ordered that the case be re-examined. Mr. Goswami’s lawyers have argued that the police have failed to comply with the legal requirement to obtain the consent of a court to reopen the case that led to Mr. Goswami’s arrest.
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