The Supreme Court granted bail to right-wing journalist and Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami, who is currently in judicial custody for his alleged involvement in a 2018 abetment to suicide case on Wednesday.
Goswami and two others were arrested last week in connection with the suicide of architect Anvay Naik and his mother.
The Vacation Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee passed the order in an appeal preferred by Goswami against the Bombay High Court order which denied him interim bail in the 2018 case, according to Bar and Bench report.
The Supreme Court said Arnab Goswami must cooperate with the probe. The court also said the release of the three must not be delayed by two days and asked them to furnish bonds of ₹ 50,000.
“If we don’t interfere in this case today, we will walk on a 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…” during the course of the hearing, Justice Chandrachud observed.
The Bench held that the Bombay High Court was incorrect in denying Goswami interim bail on November 7. It thus directed for Arnab Goswami and the two other co-accused to be released immediately on the bond.
At the outset of today’s hearing, Justice Chandrachud noted that in the SLP filed by Goswami before the Apex Court, the habeas corpus plea was not pressed for. Thus, only the issue of quashing the FIR remains, he said.
