The Bombay high court on Monday rejected Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami’s application for bail in a 2018 abetment to suicide case. The court said that Goswami can apply for regular bail in the sessions court which will have to decide on it within four days. Earlier today, Goswami filed for regular bail before the Alibag sessions court. The HC also rejected the plea for interim bail filed by Neetish Sarda as well as the plea for interim release filed by Firoze Shaikh. It said they can file for bail in the lower court which can take a decision on merit without being influenced by the high court's observations.
For the unversed, the case pertains to the death of an interior designer Anvay Naik, who committed suicide in May 2018 and left behind a note alleging that Arnab Goswami had not cleared his dues to the tune of ₹83 lacs. The suicide note had also two named two other people, namely Feroz Shaikh and Nitesh Sarda for non-clearance of dues of ₹4 crores and 55 lacs respectively.
After his arrest from his Lower Parel residence in Mumbai, Goswami was taken to Alibaug, where the Chief Judicial Magistrate remanded him and the two others in judicial custody till November 18.Goswami was then kept at a local school which designated as a Covid-19 centre for the Alibaug prison. He was shifted to Taloja jail in Maharashtra’s Raigad district on Sunday. According to the police, Goswami was moved to Taloja jail after allegedly being found using a mobile phone while in judicial custody. Goswami had earlier filed an interim bail plea before the Bombay high court on Saturday which had given him an option to file the application in sessions court. The journalist did that and filed a bail plea before a sessions court on Monday.