BOMBAY HIGH COURT REFUSES TO GRANT RELIEF TO ARNAB GOSWAMI

BOMBAY HIGH COURT REFUSES TO GRANT RELIEF TO REPUBLIC TV EDITOR- IN- CHIEF ARNAB GOSWAMI

– Aakanksha Bhatia

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to grant relief to the founder of republic tv Mr. Arnab Goswami. The news anchor had moved to the Apex Court for seeking the quashing of FIR’s registered against him. Arnab sought immunity from appearing before the police for interrogation which was then denied, but the Court had granted him the protection of arrest. He had also asked for transferring his case to the investigating agency, CBI which was refused by the Division Bench of Ujjal Bhuyan and Justice Riyaz Chagla on May 19.

The complaints against the renowned television anchor were connected to two news broadcasts. The first was booked as the Palghar lynching, Goswami was accused of making “defamatory remarks” against the Congress president  “Sonia Gandhi” and also for further advancing hostility between the groups. Secondly, for the incident in Bandra when several migrant workers gathered near a railway station, demanding to be sent back home. Goswami is accused of allegedly hurting religious sentiments and making derogatory remarks regarding a mosque situated in suburban Bandra.

Later on the 11^th of May, the Supreme Court directed that no coercive action to be taken place against the anchor in the fresh FIR lodged by Mumbai police, to which Arnab claimed that he was interrogated for 12 hours and that one of the investigating officers tested positive for COVID-19. During the hearing Arnab’s lawyer, Harish Salve argued that this case is one of a political party targeting a journalist as the complainants are the members of a common party to which the Court said that the points addressed could be argued before the High court for quashing the plea.