INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned the Maharashtra government over the 2018 abetment to suicide case against journalist
Arnab Goswami and said that it would be a travesty of justice if personal liberty of a person is curtailed like this.A vacation bench of
Justices D Y Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee said if state governments target individuals, they must realise then that there is apex court
ideology and difference of opinion.?"We are seeing case after case where high courts are not granting bail and failing to protect personal
liberty of people,"? the bench said while hearing Goswami's plea seeking interim bail in the case of alleged abetment to suicide of an
interior designer in 2018.The bench asked Maharashtra whether there was any need for custodial interrogation of Goswami, who is the
resilient? and the Maharashtra government must ignore all this (Arnab's taunt on TV).?"Whatever be his ideology, least I don't even watch
his channel, but if in this case constitutional court's do not interfere today, we are travelling the path of destruction undeniably,"?
Justice Chandrachud said, adding, ?"the point is can you deny personal liberty of a person on these allegations?."?"If the government
that assuming the FIR is ?gospel truth? but that is a matter of investigation.?"Is not paying up money abetment to suicide? It will be a
travesty of justice if bail is not granted while FIR is pending,"? the bench told senior advocate Kapil Sibal who was appearing for the
state.?"'A' does not pay money to 'B', and is this the case of abetment of suicide? If the high court don't act in matters like this, there
will be complete destruction of personal liberty
We are deeply concerned for this
attacked for judgements delivered by them and, ?I often ask my law clerk and they say that Sir, please don't look at tweets?."Senior
advocate Harish Salve, appearing for Goswami, referred to various cases lodged against him and the channel and alleged that Maharashtra
government is targeting him.?"This is not an ordinary case and the Bombay High Court being a constitutional court should have taken note of
the CBI and punish him if he is guilty
What will happen if a person is granted ad-interim bail,"? he said.Sibal referred to the facts of the case and said that details of the
investigation conducted in the matter are not before the apex court and if it intervenes at this stage, it would set a dangerous
precedent.Senior lawyer Amit Desai, also appearing for the state, said this is not a case where the court should exercise its extraordinary
the case is going on and would continue in the post-lunch session.Goswami has challenged the Bombay High Court's November 9 order refusing
to grant him and two others interim bail in the case and asking them to move the trial court for relief.The three accused were arrested by
Alibaug police in Maharashtra's Raigad district on November 4 in connection with the suicide of architect-interior designer Anvay Naik and
Goswami and two other accused Feroze Shaikh and Nitish Sarda, had said, "no case has been made out for us (court) to exercise our
extraordinary jurisdiction".Apart from seeking the interim bail, the journalist and other accused had also sought a direction from the high
court for staying the investigation into the case and quash the FIR against them.The high court will hear their pleas seeking to quash the
FIR on December 10.Goswami was arrested on November 4 from his Lower Parel residence in Mumbai and taken to Alibaug in neighbouring Raigad
in judicial custody till November 18.Goswami was initially kept at a local school which is designated as a COVID-19 quarantine centre for
the Alibaug prison.He was on Sunday shifted to the Taloja jail in Raigad district after allegedly being found using a mobile phone while in
