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Tag: Arnab Goswami

  • TRP scam: Republic TV’s Priya Mukharjee granted anticipatory bail

    TRP scam: Republic TV’s Priya Mukharjee granted anticipatory bail

    NEW DELHI: A Mumbai court on Friday granted anticipatory bail to Republic TV COO Priya Mukharjee in the alleged TRP manipulation case.

    The sessions court directed Mukharjee to appear before the concerned police station once every week. In case Mukharjee is arrested, she can be released on bail bond of Rs 50,000, the court added.

    She was taken into custody on 19 November and was later granted transit bail by the Karnataka high court as she was in Bengaluru and was apprehending arrest by the Mumbai police.

    The high court had granted bail for a period of 20 days within which period Mukharjee was asked to approach the concerned jurisdictional court for further relief. Later, she moved the sessions court for anticipatory bail.

    A few weeks ago, Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami was also arrested and was later released on bail after a gap of nearly 10 days. Republic TV has been urging the courts to transfer the investigation to CBI.

    Mumbai police unearthed the fake ratings scam on 8 October after rating agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint through Hansa Research Group, alleging that certain television channels were rigging TRP numbers. Hansa had been tasked with installing barometers, which record viewership data at sample households.

     Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh then claimed that Republic TV and two Marathi channels — Box Cinema and Fakt Marathi – were involved in manipulating TRPs. 

    Since then several arrests have been made in the case and there have been legal developments both within and outside of the courtroom. 

  • TRP row: SC rejects Arnab Goswami’s plea for CBI probe

    TRP row: SC rejects Arnab Goswami’s plea for CBI probe

    NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has refused to entertain a petition filed by Republic TV and its editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami seeking protection for all the employees of the news channel from coercive action by Maharashtra police.

    The channel had filed a plea in the ongoing TRP scam investigation that was unearthed by Mumbai police on 8 October.

    The plea alleging continuous hounding of Republic TV employees by the Maharashtra police and seeking a probe by central bureau of investigation (CBI) was withdrawn after a bench headed by justice DY Chandrachud remarked that it was "ambitious in nature.”

    Chandrachud said, "This petition is ambitious in nature. You want Maharashtra police not to arrest any employee and transfer to CBI. You better withdraw this."

    Goswami's counsel, senior advocate Milind Sathe, then chose to rescind the plea after the court granted liberty to Goswami and Republic TV to move appropriate forum for relief.

    The fake TRP scam came to light in October when rating agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint through Hansa Research group, alleging that certain television channels were rigging TRP numbers. Hansa had been tasked with installing barometers, which record viewership data at sample households. 

    Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh then claimed that Republic TV and two Marathi channels – Box Cinema and Fakt Marathi – were involved in manipulating ratings. 

    Since then several arrests have been made in the case and there has been a lot of developments both within and outside of the courtroom.  

  • Arnab Goswami seeks quashing of FIR against him in abetment case

    Arnab Goswami seeks quashing of FIR against him in abetment case

    NEW DELHI: Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami’s legal nightmares show no signs of abating. He has been at loggerheads with police officials and the government of Maharashtra for a while now. Currently, Goswami is embroiled in two different cases — the TRP manipulation scam, and abetment to suicide case of interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik. The industry has witnessed high voltage drama for the last two months with a litany of FIRs, arrests, lawsuits, hearings, and mud-slinging.

    In the latest development, Goswami has filed an interim application before Bombay high court (HC), seeking directions to be issued to the chief judicial magistrate at Alibaug to not take cognisance of the chargesheet filed by the Raigad police in the abetment case. He has petitioned for a stay on all further proceedings, including the investigation in relation to the chargesheet filed.

    For the record, last week, on 5 December, Raigad police filed a 1,916-page-long chargesheet before the Alibaug court implicating Goswami and two other accused in the same case. The chargesheet includes evidence from 65 witnesses. Media reports said that police has also submitted the forensic reports that have matched the handwriting in the suicide note, claiming it was not written under any pressure.

    Goswami’s application seeks quashing of the FIR against him in the case and he has moved the court for an early listing of the plea and the interim applications filed in it.

    It must be noted that he has also filed an application — a day before the filing of the chargesheet — with the Bombay HC seeking a stay on the filing of the chargesheet, and on any further probe into the abetment of the suicide case. In his plea, Goswami has also sought the transfer of the case to the central bureau of investigation (CBI) or any other independent investigating agency outside the purview of Maharashtra government.

    In the latest application, he has claimed that despite a pending application by him, the Raigad police went ahead and filed a chargesheet without giving any notice to him or giving him a copy of the same.

    Goswami’s lawyers argued that the filing of the chargesheet is a “complete subversion of due process given that it comes within hours of a political instruction being declared publicly by the home minister of Maharashtra, Anil Deshmukh.”

    They further pointed that the Raigad police acted out of pure malice and malafide intent by filing the chargesheet against him so as to render his earlier application moot.

    Goswami has submitted that the observations made by the Supreme Court in the judgment of 27 November “upholding due process and personal liberty, fell on deaf ears of the machinery in state of Maharashtra and it is proof of the desperate predetermined conspiracy in operation against him.”

    He concluded his plea by submitting that “the filing of a malicious chargesheet in the present matter pending the hearing of his plea is aiding the instrumentality of the state which is being weaponised for using the force of criminal law against him.”

    For the record, Goswami and the other accused were arrested by the Raigad police earlier in November and were remanded to judicial custody for 14 days. After the Bombay HC refused bail, the supreme court granted him interim release pending the disposal of the proceedings before the high court and for a period of four weeks from the date of the judgment of the HC.

  • NBF hails Supreme Court of India upholding human liberty

    NBF hails Supreme Court of India upholding human liberty

    New Delhi: The News Broadcasters Federation hails supreme court of India, upholding sacrosanct principle of human liberty in its judgement providing interim relief to Arnab Goswami, MD and editor in chief of Republic Media Network.

    The apex court in its judgement explained that the writ of liberty runs through the fabrics of constitution of India, while highlighting the role and constitutional duty of high court and sub-ordinate courts to protect the citizens from the misuse of criminal law and authority. “Deprivation of liberty even for a single day is one day too many” the court had observed.

    NBF herein reiterates and urges the government of India to immediately setup and independent neutral national agency to investigate into any allegations of professional misconduct by the journalists, executives and owners of the media company, in order to prevent selective harassment by the state authority and ensure freedom of press.

    NBF is the most democratic and largest congregation of news broadcasters across the country, striving for the best interest – editorial and business – of news TV channels.

    NBF counts Dighvijay, DY365 News, First India Rajasthan, Gulistan News, IBC24, India News, JK 24*7, Living India News, News Live, News Nation, NewsX, North East Live, Odisha TV, Prag News, MH One News, PuthiyaThalaimurai TV, Republic TV, Republic Bharat, Newsfirst Kannada, S Newz, TV5, and Twenty Four News among its members. 

  • No prima facie evidence against Arnab Goswami in abetment to suicide case: SC

    No prima facie evidence against Arnab Goswami in abetment to suicide case: SC

    NEW DELHI: Detailing the reasons for granting interim bail to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami in its 11 November judgement, the Supreme Court highlighted that the bail will remain in force for four weeks, even after the Bombay high court decides on the journalist-cum-businessman’s plea to quash the FIR against him. The judgment was delivered by a bench of justices DY Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee. 

    Justice Chandrachud said that prima facie, it could not be held that Goswami had abetted the suicide of Anvay Naik. 

    The apex court also lamented the Bombay high court’s order in the matter. “The striking aspect of the impugned judgment of the high court spanning over fifty-six pages is the absence of any evaluation even prima facie of the most basic issue. The high court, in other words, failed to apply its mind to a fundamental issue which needed to be considered while dealing with a petition for quashing under Article 226 of the Constitution or section 482 of the CrPC.”

    The bench upheld that the judiciary should stand as a bulwark against weaponizing criminal law for selective harassment. “Courts must be alive to the need to safeguard the public interest in ensuring that the due enforcement of criminal law is not obstructed. The fair investigation of crime is an aid to it. Equally, it is the duty of courts across the spectrum – the district judiciary, the high courts and the Supreme Court – to ensure that the criminal law does not become a weapon for the selective harassment of citizens."

    Read our coverage in the suicide abetment case

    Goswami had approached the SC after the Bombay high court refused to grant him bail. The top court gave a prima facie view that the preliminary evaluation of FIR did not establish any abetment to suicide charge and granted interim bail to Goswami, saying it will be a "travesty of justice" if personal liberty is curtailed.

    The bench had also ordered the release of two others in the case — Neetish Sarda and Feroz Mohammad Shaikh — on a personal bond of Rs 50,000 each and directed that they shall not tamper with evidence and cooperate in the probe.

    The accused were arrested by Alibaug police in Maharashtra’s Raigad district on 4 November in connection with the suicide of architect-interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother in 2018 over alleged non-payment of dues by companies of the accused.

  • Abetment case: Arnab Goswami granted interim bail by Supreme Court

    Abetment case: Arnab Goswami granted interim bail by Supreme Court

    NEW DELHI: In a major relief to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, the Supreme Court has granted him interim bail in a 2018 case of abetment to suicide of interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother. The top court also allowed the interim release of the co-accused Neetish Sarda and Firoze Mohammed Sheikh.

    The accused are required to execute a personal bond for an amount of Rs 50,000 for release on interim bail. They have also been directed to cooperate with the investigation and should not interfere with the witnesses. 

    A vacation bench comprising justices D Y Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee passed the order after an urgent hearing given to the pleas challenging the order of the Bombay high court, which denied the accused interim bail in the habeas corpus petitions filed by them challenging their ‘illegal’ custody. 

    The Supreme Court stated that the Bombay HC was in error in rejecting the application for grant of interim bail and failed to exercise its jurisdiction to protect the personal liberty of a citizen. 

    "If this court does not interfere today, we are travelling on the path of destruction. Forget this man. You may not like his ideology. Left to myself, I will not watch his channel. Keep aside everything. If this is what our state governments are going to do to people who are to be nailed, then the Supreme Court has to intervene. There has to be a message to HCs- Please exercise your jurisdiction to uphold personal liberty. We are seeing case after case. HCs are failing to exercise jurisdiction. People are in jail for tweets," justice Chandrachud remarked.

    Goswami was arrested from his Mumbai residence on 4 November and was sent to 14-day judicial custody. 

  • Abetment case: Arnab Goswami moves Supreme Court

    Abetment case: Arnab Goswami moves Supreme Court

    NEW DELHI: Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami has challenged the Bombay high court’s order dismissing his petition for interim bail in the 2018 abetment to suicide case in the Supreme Court. 

    Goswami, who remains in 14-day judicial custody, was refused interim bail by the Bombay HC on Monday stating that no case was made out for the exercise of extraordinary jurisdiction by the high court under Article 226 of the Constitution when the petitioners have the alternate remedy of seeking regular bail under Section 439 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. 

    "Rejection of interim application shall not be construed as an impediment to the petitioner seeking alternate remedies. Observations are prima facie in nature confined to the present application only," the bench said in its order yesterday.

    The journalist has also filed a regular bail application in the Alibaug sessions court seeking his release from judicial custody.

    Read our coverage of the 2018 abetment case  

    Goswami and two others were arrested on 4 November in relation to abetment to a suicide case of an interior designer and his mother for non-repayment of dues by the accused. 

  • Bombay HC refuses interim bail to Arnab Goswami in abetment case

    Bombay HC refuses interim bail to Arnab Goswami in abetment case

    NEW DELHI: Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, and the two other accused in the 2018 abetment to suicide case, have been denied interim bail by the Bombay high court. However, the accused still have the liberty to approach the sessions court for regular bail. 

    The bench comprising Justice SS Shinde and MS Karnik had a special sitting today to pronounce orders that were reserved on Saturday evening after a six-hour-long hearing. 

    “Rejection of interim application shall not be construed as an impediment to the petitioner seeking alternate remedies. Observations are prima facie in nature confined to the present application only,” the bench said in the order.

    Read our coverage of the 2018 abetment case

    Earlier in the day, Goswami has moved a regular bail application in the Alibaug sessions court seeking his release from judicial custody. Bombay high court has asked the lower court to decide on the bail application within four days of filing.

    Goswami was arrested on the morning of 4 November in a case registered by the Raigad police in 2018 for allegedly abetting the suicide of an interior designer, Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik. He was remanded to judicial custody by CJM Alibag and was kept at a local school which has been designated as a Covid2019 centre for the Alibaug prison. Yesterday, he was shifted to Taloja Jail in Navi Mumbai on allegation of using a mobile phone while in judicial custody.

  • No relief for Arnab Goswami as Bombay HC reserves order

    No relief for Arnab Goswami as Bombay HC reserves order

    NEW DELHI: After a six-hour-long special hearing on Saturday, the Bombay high court has reserved its order on Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami’s plea seeking interim release from custody in the 2018 abetment to suicide case. The court is expected to release orders in the coming week.

    The bench headed by justice SS Shinde and MS Karnik refused to pass an immediate order of interim relief but clarified that the pendency of the case in the high court will not bar the petitioners from seeking regular bail under section 439 before the concerned court. The decision will have to be given by the concerned court, in case of filing of such a petition by Goswami and other petitioners, within four days. 

    “We can't pass order today. It is already six. Meanwhile we will clarify that pendency of the petition will not bar the petitioner from approaching the sessions court for bail and if such an application is filed, it should be decided within four days,” the bench observed.

    When senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing on behalf of Goswami, pressed for interim bail, the court said that it could not pass an order immediately, and that it needed to consider the compilations and submissions made by the parties involved in the case.

    It was the third consecutive day of hearing of the habeas corpus plea made by Goswami stating that his arrest in a “decisively closed” case was “illegal” and was done with the intent of vendetta by the Maharashtra government and Mumbai police for his critical reportage. 

    Goswami remains in 14-day judicial custody after he was arrested from his Mumbai residence on the morning of Wednesday, 4 November. 

  • Abetment case: Arnab Goswami alleges mistreatment by Mumbai police

    Abetment case: Arnab Goswami alleges mistreatment by Mumbai police

    NEW DELHI: Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami is a man caught in the eye of a storm. Weeks after finding himself in the midst of a TRP manipulation racket, the journalist was arrested in connection to a 2018 abetment to suicide case. In the last few days, the visuals of Goswami being dragged and shoved ignominiously while being taken into police custody have been shared widely on social media and the TV news circuit. Now, he has levelled the charge of mistreatment against the Mumbai police in his bail plea before the Bombay high court.

    Goswami has claimed that not only did he sustain injuries as a result of police action during his arrest, he was denied drinking water and made to ingest a “certain liquid” while he was in police custody.

    "During the course of his arrest and while being transferred to Alibaug in a police van and in the custody of the police, the petitioner suffered a 6-inch-deep gash on his left hand, a serious injury to his spinal cord, was hit by a heavy uniform police officer’s boot, was not allowed to wear shoes throughout, suffered vein injuries and was not even given access to drinking water. Additionally, the Petitioner was also forced to consume certain liquid by the police officers guarding him and choked as a result thereof," the petition reads, as reported by Bar and Bench.

    He has also accused the police of deliberately delaying in filing a reply to the court's notice on his bail plea, in order to ensure that he "remains illegally detained." Yesterday, senior advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Goswami, had asserted that the Maharashtra government was acting in malice against his client.

    In a special hearing today, the bench of justices SS Shinde and MS Karnik has taken up Goswami's habeas corpus petition challenging his arrest and detention. Submissions are currently underway from senior advocate Amit Desai, appearing for the state. Earlier in the day, the court heard submissions from counsels for the two other accused in the case and advocate Subodh Desai, representing the complainant Adnya Naik, the deceased’s daughter.

    The bench told the lawyers that they need to wrap up arguments on the matter of interim relief today itself, otherwise the case would be next posted for hearing on November 23, after vacations.

    After being closed in 2019, the abetment case was reopened in October this year. It pertains to the suicide of Mumbai-based interior designer Anvay Naik and his mother. Naik alleged in his suicide note that Goswami and two others had not paid dues owed to his firm, which is why he decided to end his life. Goswami was arrested by Alibaug police and was remanded to judicial custody till 18 November by a magistrate’s court.