Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami has filed for anticipatory bail before the City Civil and Sessions Court, Mumbai on Tuesday seeking protection from arrest in connection with a case registered by the Mumbai police for allegedly ‘resisting arrest’ and ‘obstruction of public servants’ from doing their official duty on November 4
On November 4, the Mumbai Police had registered an FIR against Arnab Goswami, his wife Samyabrata Goswami, his son and two unknown persons for allegedly obstructing police officers from carrying out their duties. The FIR against Arnab and his family by the Mumbai Police had come after they had barged into the residence of Arnab Goswami with 30-40 armed policemen to drag and arrest him in the 2018 suicide case.
Subsequently, an FIR was lodged by under Sections 353 (deterring public servant from discharging duty), 504 and 506 (provoking the breach of peace) of the Indian Penal Code and under provisions of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act.
The complainant had said that she along with a team of officers from the Mumbai Police had gone to arrest Goswami in the abetment to suicide case when Goswami and his son had allegedly physically assaulted the police officers in a bid to prevent Goswami’s arrest. She had claimed that Goswami’s wife, co-accused in the FIR, allegedly tore an official document which was handed over to her for the purpose of signing, thereby, damaging public property.
Arnab Goswami has sought protection from arrest citing that the ground that the offences alleged against him is not true and there is a video recording of the incident to prove the same.
The Sessions Court is scheduled to hear the pre-arrest bail application filed by Goswami on Thursday.
The anticipatory bail by Arnab Goswami at the Sessions court comes a day after Supreme Court had ordered his immediate release after it granted interim bail in connection with the suicide case filed against them by the Maharashtra government.
Supreme Court grants bail to Arnab Goswami
On Wednesday, a Supreme Court bench comprising of Justice Chandrachud and Justice Indu Malhotra hearing the petition said that Bombay High Court made an error in rejecting the application for grant of interim bail on technical grounds. Granting the bail to Arnab Goswami, the apex court also directed the Raigad police to ensure the compliance of the order of release of Arnab Goswami forthwith.
The Supreme Court also asked Arnab Goswami and two other accused to execute a personal bond for an amount of Rs 50,000 for release on interim bail.
Justice Chandrachud, hearing the plea had made scathing observations saying, “If we don’t interfere in this case today we will walk on path of destruction. If left to me I won’t watch the channel and you may differ in ideology but Constitutional courts will have to protect such freedoms”.
Arnab was arrested last week by the Mumbai Police after it had reopened 2018 abatement of the suicide case of an architect, Anvay Naik.