Bombay High Court refuses interim bail to journalist Arnab Goswami in suicide abetment case
- Bombay High Court has directed Arnab Goswami to approach a lower court to seek bail in the Anvay Naik suicide case
- The HC was hearing petitions filed by Goswami and two other accused Feroze Shaikh and Nitish Sarda challenging their 'illegal arrest' in the case and seeking interim bail
The Bombay High Court today refuse interim bail to journalist Arnab Goswami in suicide abetment case. Bombay High Court has directed Arnab Goswami to approach a lower court to seek bail in the Anvay Naik suicide case.
A division bench of Justices S S Shinde and M S Karnik said "no case was made out in the present matter for the high court to exercise its extraordinary jurisdiction".
The HC noted that the petitioner (Goswami) has the remedy under law to approach the sessions court concerned and seek regular bail.
The HC was hearing petitions filed by Goswami and two other accused Feroze Shaikh and Nitish Sarda challenging their "illegal arrest" in the case and seeking interim bail.
Meanwhile, the Republic TV Editor-in-Chief, arrested in connection with the alleged suicide of an interior designer, on Monday filed a bail application before the sessions court at Alibaug in Maharashtra's Raigad district.
The sessions court is currently also hearing a revision application filed by the Alibaug police challenging a November 4 order of the magistrates court denying them custody of Goswami and two other accused in the case and remanding the three in judicial custody.
Earlier, on Saturday, a division bench of Justices S S Shinde and M S Karnik after a day-long hearing in the pleas reserved its order without granting any immediate relief.
Goswami and the other accused - Feroze Shaikh and Nitish Sarda - had challenged their "illegal arrest" and sought to be released on interim bail.
A notice issued late Saturday night on the high court's website said the bench would assemble at 3 pm on November 9 for pronouncement of the order.
The bench on Saturday said pendency of the matter before it does not preclude the petitioners from seeking regular bail from the sessions court concerned.
The court said if such bail pleas are filed, then the sessions court shall hear and decide the same in four days from filing of the plea.
Goswami and the two others were arrested by Alibaug police in Maharashtra's Raigad district on November 4 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.
After his arrest from his residence in Mumbai, Goswami was taken to Alibaug, where the Chief Judicial Magistrate refused to remand him in police custody.
The magistrate's court remanded Goswami and the two others in judicial custody till November 18.
Goswami was initially kept at a local school which has been designated as a COVID-19 centre for the Alibaug prison.
On Sunday, he was shifted to the Taloja jail in Raigad district after allegedly being found using a mobile phone while in judicial custody.
- With inputs from agencies