MUMBAI: Vikas khanchandaniThe Republic TV CEO, arrested in the TRP manipulation case, was released on bail today by a magistrate court. His lawyer Niteen Pradhan said that the bail was posted with a cash guarantee of Rs 50,000. Khanchandani was arrested on Sunday.
Khanchandani was presented to the trial court on Tuesday and placed in judicial custody for 14 days. Pradhan had submitted a request for bail at the time.
“Among the reasons for requesting bail, we have cited that his arrest is a flagrant abuse of power and abuse of the legal process. It does not appear in the FIR or on the charge sheet, ”Pradhan had said. He also cited instructions from the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission (MHRC) to the crime branch to respond to a complaint of his alleged “illegal arrest”. The lawyer also claimed that Arnab Goswami’s colleagues were being harassed for his alleged anti-government statements.
At the time of Khanchandani’s arrest, his advance bond was pending before the session court. Pradhan had said that even the session court had questioned the investigative agency’s urgency to arrest Khanchandani when his pre-arrest bond was due to be heard on Monday.
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