Arnab Goswami was detained at a Zilla Parishad school in Raigad (File)
Bombay:
Republic TV promoter Arnab Goswami will have to spend more time in jail because the Bombay High Court has postponed the hearing of his request for interim relief until Saturday. The court will resume hearing the case on Saturday at noon in a special sitting as the court goes on vacation. The court heard arguments from Mr. Goswami’s lawyers on Friday but was unable to hear from the other parties due to lack of time.
A division bench consisting of Judge SS Shinde and Judge MS Karnik will hear the petition of the defendant, the state government and the Anvay Naik family. Lawyers for Arnab Goswami lobbied for interim relief so that Mr. Goswami could be released from prison in addition to the FIR quashing against him. Mr. Goswami was held in a Zilla Parishad school in Raigad which has been turned into a quarantine center for those arrested.
Arnab Goswami can only be released from prison when the High Court grants him interim relief or obtains bail from a competent court. The first magistrate had rejected the police custody request and made certain observations on the legality of the case against Arnab Goswami and even on the legality of his arrest. The police challenged the order in the court of session, as they are pushing for an interrogation in custody as part of the investigation. Arnab Goswami was placed in judicial custody for 14 days by the senior magistrate of 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 in a suicide note. The case was dropped earlier when the BJP was in power in the state after police told a court there was no evidence to prosecute and prosecute the defendants. Mr Naik’s family appealed to the government, saying the investigation was scuttled and the government ordered a review of the case. Mr Goswami’s lawyers argued that the police failed to meet the legal requirement to obtain court consent for the reopening of the case which led to Mr Goswami’s arrest.
