Anvay Naik suicide case: Court to hear Alibag police’s plea for Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami’s custody today

A sessions court in Alibag on Monday adjourned to Tuesday hearing into the revision application filed by the local crime branch of Alibag police, seeking custodial

A sessions court in Alibag on Monday adjourned to Tuesday hearing into the revision application filed by the local crime branch of Alibag police, seeking custodial interrogation of Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and two others, in connection with the 2018 Anvay Naik suicide case. The court is also likely to hear the bail applications filed by all the three accused – Goswami, Feroz Shaikh and Nitesh Sarda – on Tuesday. In another related development, Alibag police on November 6 obtained permission from the chief judicial magistrate to interrogate Goswami and two others for a period of three hours every day, while they are in judicial custody.

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Goswami, Shaikh and Sarda were arrested by Alibag crime branch on November 4. The same evening, a magistrate court in Alibag remanded them in judicial custody till November 18. The prosecution had challenged the order of the magistrate court and filed a revision application asking for police custody of Goswami and the others.

Special public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat had argued that they needed the police custody of the three accused for interrogation. “Sarda did not pay ₹55 lakh, Goswami ₹83 lakh and Shaikh ₹4 crore. Kindly collect money from them and hold them responsible for death,” Gharat had argued. “Judicial custody given by the magistrate court is illegal and inappropriate. The summary report filed by the previous investigating officer Suresh Warade was illegal, which has been accepted by the court,” Gharat had said on Saturday.

Responding to the prosecution’s argument, defence lawyer for Sarda filed two applications before the sessions court. The first application to adjourn the hearing was rejected by the court after which he moved an application to reject the revision petition filed by Alibag police. Later, the court asked Goswami’s lawyer and senior counsel Aabad Ponda to argue. Ponda sought time to go through the argument of the prosecution which was rejected by the court. Another advocate Karan Kadam appearing for Sarda moved an application questioning the maintainability and said the magistrate court’s order could not be challenged in the sessions court and should be done in the high court as the accused had already been sent to judicial custody. Goswami’s and Shaikh’s lawyers are expected to place their arguments tomorrow.

Meanwhile, crime branch officers questioned Goswami in Taloja jail on Monday. Also, inspector general of police Sanjay Mohite (Konkan range) has written to Mira-Bhayander commissioner Sadanand Date to suspend senior inspector Suresh Warade, who was the investigating officer of the case, for not conducting proper inquiry.