The Supreme Court on Monday refused a plea by Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami for a CBI inquiry against top Maharashtra police officials and a blanket protection to anyone related to his media company as a “little ambitious”.
“This is a little ambitious,” Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said, allowing the petitioner to withdraw the petition.
During the short hearing, Justice Chandrachud, leading a Bench also comprising Justice Indira Banerjee, read out aloud the various prayers made out by Mr. Goswami and his company, ARG Outlier Media Private Limited.
They included a direction from the Supreme Court to the Centre to “protect” Mr. Goswami and his company: order a CBI investigation against the Maharashtra DGP and the Mumbai Police Commissioner; quash all FIRs; direct Maharashtra Police not to arrest anyone associated with the company, including stakeholders, etc.
Mr. Goswami’s lawyer agreed to withdraw the petition.
The Bench dismissed the case as withdrawn, but enabled the petitioners to move the High Court or any other competent court.
Earlier in November, the top court had granted bail to Mr. Goswami in an abetment to suicide case concerning the deaths of interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik.
The judgment had also said a “prima facie evaluation” of the FIR against Mr. Goswami did not establish the ingredients of the offence of abetment to suicide against him.
“The doors of the Supreme Court cannot be closed to a citizen who is able to establish prima facie that the instrumentality of the State is being weaponised for using the force of criminal law,” it said.
However, the Maharashtra police recently went on to file a charge sheet, implicating Mr. Goswami and two others in the case.