No relief for Arnab Goswami as Bombay High Court reserves order on bail plea

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Saturday reserved its order on Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami's interim bail plea. When his lawyer Harish Salve insisted that an ad-interim relief be granted, the court said it will reserve orders and will pronounce them some day in the coming week. The division bench assured that the court will pronounce the order as early as possible.

Meanwhile, the court said Goswami can move the sessions court for regular bail in the meantime.

The bench clarified that the pendency of the case in the High Court will not be an impediment for the petitioners to seek regular bail under Section 439 of the Code of Criminal Procedure before the concerned court. If such an application is made, the court ordered, the same should be decided by the concerned court within four days of the filing.

After hearing arguments from all sides for more than six hours, the division bench of Justices SS Shinde and MS Karnik said, "We will pass the order at the earliest. The pendency of this matter does not preclude you (Goswami) or the other accused from approaching the concerned lower court seeking regular bail."

The high court was hearing petitions filed by Goswami, a high-profile TV journalist, and two other accused — Feroze Shaikh and Nitish Sarda — seeking interim bail and challenging their "illegal arrest".

The trio 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 the accused's respective firms. The petitions also sought a stay to the investigation and quashing of the FIR.

The court, meanwhile, also sought response from the state government on a petition filed by Anvay Naik's daughter Adnya Naik seeking a fresh probe by an independent agency. It will be heard on December 8.