Arnab Goswami granted bail by Supreme Court in abetment to suicide case

Republic TV editor in chief Arnab Goswami

The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami in 2018 abetment to suicide case. Goswami had filed a plea in the top court challenging the Bombay High Court order that dismissed his petition for interim on Monday.

The apex court also observed that the Bombay High Court was wrong in rejecting the bail plea of Goswami.

A special vacation bench comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee heard the plea.
The Bombay High Court had declined to entertain his interim bail plea and asked him to apply for regular bail before the trial court.

The justices ordered Goswami and two other accused to be released on interim bail on a bond of Rs 50,000. The bench also directed the Commissioner of Police to ensure the order is followed immediately.

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A division bench of Justice S.S. Shinde and Justice M.S. Karnik asked him to file for regular bail under Section 439 of the CrPC with the Alibaug court and directed that it should be decided on merits within four days, "without being influenced by observations" by the HC's observations.
The division bench also posted Goswami's writ petition - seeking quashing of the police FIR against him - for hearing on December 10, and declined to grant his plea to stay the investigations in the case at this stage.

Goswami's team has already filed its bail plea before the Alibaug court on Monday - a day after he was shifted from a school there to the Taloja Central Jail on November 8.
The Republic TV head was arrested on November 4 in connection with the double-suicide case of architect Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik on May 5, 2018 for alleged non-payment of his dues by Goswami, and two other creditors, Feroze Shaikh and Nitesh Sarda.

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Naik's widow Akshata Naik and their daughter Adnya Naik, have filed a separate plea seeking a reinvestigation into the case or transferring it to an independent agency for probe.

(With inputs from agency)

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