Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami to remain in custody as Bombay HC adjourns bail plea hearing till Saturday

The Bombay High Court on Friday adjourned the hearing of the interim bail plea of Arnab Goswami, the Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV, till 12 noon on Saturday.

A high court bench comprising Justices SS Shinde and MS Karnik posted the matter for hearing at 12 noon on Saturday. The bench said that it would continue the hearing on Saturday because of the lack of time. "We will assemble for this matter especially tomorrow noon," the court said.

Goswami has been remanded to 14-day judicial custody till November 18 in a 2018 abetment to suicide case. 

However, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Secretary to show cause in two weeks why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for his October 13 letter to Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami over showing the Assembly notice issued to him to the apex court.

The top court also granted protection from arrest to Goswami in breach of privilege motion case.

A bench, headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde and comprising Justices AS Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, pulling up the Assembly Secretary, said every citizen has right under Article 32 of the Constitution to approach the Supreme Court directly and because Goswami came to the Supreme Court, he cannot be threatened in this manner.

Terming the letter to Goswami "threatening" and "intimidating", Chief Justice Bobde said: "How dare he do this?"

Senior advocate Harish Salve, representing Goswami, said his client is in jail and he is being threatened. "Case after case after case is being filed against this man. At times, constitutional courts have to see the reality and not just the smokescreen," he submitted.

The Chief Justice said there is no doubt that if a citizen is deterred from approaching the Supreme Court in the exercise of his right under Article 32, it would amount to serious interference in the administration of justice. "No authority in the country can penalise someone for approaching this court. This is in teeth of Article 32. How dare this officer wrote something like this in his letter," he asked.

Chief Justice Bobde emphasised that this is a serious matter. "The statements are unprecedented and have a tendency to bring the administration of justice into disrepute," he said.

The bench observed that although Assembly Secretary has been served with a notice, he hasn`t entered an appearance so far in the court, instead, had issued a letter to the petitioner (Goswami). After a detailed hearing in the matter, the bench said show-cause notice of contempt be issued to the Assembly Secretary.

The remarks from the Chief Justice came while hearing a plea by Goswami challenging the show cause notice issued by the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly for initiation of breach of privilege motion against him for the reporting in connection with the case of death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput.

(With agency inputs)