No coercive action against Republic TV editor, employees till Wednesday: Maharashtra government to Bombay HC

Following an assurance by the state and Mumbai Police that they would not take any coercive action against the editor-in-chief of Republic TV Arnab Goswami and other

Following an assurance by the state and Mumbai Police that they would not take any coercive action against the editor-in-chief of Republic TV Arnab Goswami and other employees of the channel till Wednesday, the Bombay high court (HC) on Tuesday said it would hear applications seeking quashing of the first information report (FIR) and charge-sheet filed against Goswami and the applications filed by the Hansa group on Wednesday.

Republic TV’s editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami’s channel is at the centre of the TRP manipulation case. (HT PHOTO)

While hearing the applications and petitions filed in the TRP (television rating points) manipulation case by Republic TV, Arnab Goswami and others, the division bench of justice SS Shinde and justice MS Karnik was informed by senior counsel Aabad Ponda that they were apprehensive of Mumbai Police arresting Goswami and other employees of Republic TV, and hence sought an interim order restraining the Mumbai Police from doing so.

Ponda further said that as per clause 12 of the charge-sheet, the form 5(c) filed by the police seeking to arrest any employee of Republic TV was not valid as the Supreme Court had deemed the said form illegal.

However, chief public prosecutor Deepak Thakare opposed the submissions and said that the channel could not seek a blanket order to restrain the police from arresting any of their employees. He further said that the demand of the channel was not valid as the persons from the channel who Mumbai Police intended to arrest were not parties in the petitions, hence the court could not grant them any relief.

Ponda further added that it was informed that Mumbai Police had reached Delhi to arrest Goswami and hence, there was an urgent need for the court to issue a restraining order till both sides had argued.

Thakare, however, sought time and said that as senior counsel Kapil Sibal was not available till January, Ponda’s contentions could not be allowed as they would hamper investigations.

After hearing both sides, the bench observed that it would hear the matter through a virtual hearing on Wednesday and Sibal could also appear. The court then asked Thakare to take instructions as to whether the police would restrain from taking any coercive steps against the employees of Republic TV till Wednesday. After Thakare confirmed the same, the court posted the applications for Wednesday to be heard through virtual hearing.