NEW DELHI: Refusing to grant interim relief to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, the Bombay HC has adjourned the remand hearing for Friday, 6 N0vember 2020. Goswami is currently in 14-day judicial custody in a 2018 case of abetment to suicide. 

The bench of Justices S S Shinde and M S Karnik observed that they can’t pass an interim order without hearing the complainant and the state. 

Further, the bench has issued a notice on the petition to the state and also to the complainant Adnya Naik, daughter of the deceased Anvay Naik, an architect by profession. In his suicide note, Naik wrote that he was taking the drastic step because of three people for non-payment of dues to his interior designing firm CDPL. Goswami was named by him in the same note, along with Feroz Shaikh of IcastX/Skimedia and Niteish Sarda of Smartworks.

In his habeas plea, Goswami alleged that the decisively closed case was reopened “with the sole purpose of misusing power, concocting facts and forcefully arresting the petitioner in a prima facie act of revenge and vengeance for his news coverage which questioned those in power in the state of Maharashtra.”

Goswami further claimed that he has been wrongfully detained and assaulted in another attempt of political witch hunt and vendetta politics against him and his news channel. 

The journalist was arrested on Wednesday morning from his Mumbai residence and remanded in 14-day judicial custody on the same evening.