Arnab Goswami seeks stay on investigation in 2018 abetment to suicide case

Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami has moved the Bombay high court seeking a stay on the ongoing investigation by the Mumbai Police into Anvay Naik’s suicide case in 2018. The journalist has also urged the high court to transfer the investigation to CBI or any other independent agency.

The matter will be heard before the Bombay high court on December 10.

Goswami was arrested on November 4 on charges of abetting the suicide of interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother in 2018. He was granted interim bail on November 11.

Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh has recently said a charge sheet will be filed soon in the case.

The Supreme Court has observed that prima facie evaluation of the FIR against journalist Arnab Goswami and two others did not establish the ingredients of the offence of abetment to suicide. The apex court has also extended the interim bail granted to Goswami.

A bench of justices D Y Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee said that the high court should not foreclose itself from the exercise of the power when a citizen has been “arbitrarily deprived of their personal liberty in an excess of state power”.

“In this batch of cases, a prima facie evaluation of the FIR does not establish the ingredients of the offence of abetment of suicide under Section 306 of the IPC. The appellants are residents of India and do not pose a flight risk during the investigation or the trial.

“There is no apprehension of tampering of evidence or witnesses. Taking these factors into consideration, the order dated 11 November 2020 envisaged the release of the appellants on bail,” the top court recently said.