Revision plea challenging Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami's judicial remand filed in Alibaug court, hearing on Nov 9

New Delhi: The Maharashtra police on Saturday (November 7) filed a revision plea in the sessions court at Alibaug in Raigad district challenging the magistrate's order of judicial remand to Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami instead of his police custody in a 2018 abetment of suicide case.

The petition sought the sessions court to quash the lower court's order and grant them custody of the three accused- Arnab Goswami, Feroze Shaikh, and Nitesh Sarda. 

The district sessions court, which passed the order to hear the plea on November 9, was informed that the Bombay High Court is presently hearing petitions filed by Goswami and two other accused in the case seeking interim bail and challenging their "illegal arrest".

Earlier on Wednesday morning, Goswami was arrested from his Lower Parel residence in Mumbai for allegedly abetting the suicide of 53-year-old interior designer Anvay Naik. 

Arnab was taken to the Alibaug police station and later produced before the Chief Judicial Magistrate Sunaina Pingle, who refused to remand the trio to police custody and sent them to judicial custody till November 18. The court had observed that Goswami's arrest "appears to be prima facie illegal".

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The Alibaug police, however, had sought 14 days' custody of Goswami for interrogation. Goswami is presently kept at a local school, which has been designated as a COVID-19 centre for the Alibaug prison.

In 2018, Anvay Naik and his mother Kumodini Naik had ended their lives over alleged non-payment of dues by the accused persons' companies. 

In May this year, Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh had announced that he has ordered a fresh probe in the case after a complaint by Adnya Naik, daughter of Anvay Naik. 

On Thursday, the Bombay High Court did not grant interim relief to Arnab Goswami in a 2018 suicide abetment case and adjourned the hearing till Saturday.

The high court bench comprising Justices SS Shinde and MS Karnik posted the matter for hearing on Saturday, saying "We will assemble for this matter especially tomorrow noon." 

In the Maharashtra assembly breach of privilege motion case, the Supreme Court, however, granted protection from arrest to Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami on Friday. 

The apex court also issued a show-cause notice to the Secretary of the legislative assembly for his letter to Arnab purportedly cautioning him against disclosing house notice to the top court.

The Supreme Court directed the Secretary of Maharashtra legislative assembly to explain in two weeks as to why the contempt proceedings not be initiated against him. The top court issued the notice while hearing Arnab's plea against the show cause notice by the Maharashtra Assembly for initiation of breach of privilege motion against him for reports related to the Sushant Singh Rajput's death case. 

The SC bench observed, "This is a serious matter and amounts to contempt. The statements are unprecedented and have a tendency to bring the administration of justice into disrepute and in any case, may amount to direct interference in the administration of Justice."

The bench further said, "The intention of the author of the letter seems to be to intimidate the petitioner because he approached this court and to threaten him with a penalty for doing so." 

(With Agency Inputs)