The Bombay high court on Friday granted interim exemption to TV journalist Arnab Goswami from appearing before a magistrates court at Alibaug in adjoining Raigad district in connection with an abetment to suicide case.
The relief has been granted till April 16.
Goswami, the Republic TV Editor-in-Chief, and two others are accused of abetting the suicide of Alibaug-based interior designer Anvay Naik, who killed himself in 2018 over alleged non-payment of dues by the companies of the accused.
They were arrested on November 4, 2020. The accused failed to get relief from the HC after which they approached the Supreme Court which granted them bail on November 11.
On Friday, Goswami's advocate Sanjog Parab told a division bench of Justices S S Shinde and Manish Pitale his client has been directed to appear before the Chief Judicial Magistrate at Alibaug, a coastal town 100km from Mumbai, on March 10 for committal of the trial in the case to a sessions court.
The HC was hearing a petition filed by Goswami challenging the first information report lodged against him by the Raigad police in the case and the subsequent chargesheet submitted in the local court.
The 47-year-old journalist, who has denied charges levelled against him in the case, has sought the HC to quash the FIR.
Parab sought the HC to grant Goswami exemption from appearance in the local court.
Since we are seized of the matter, we grant the petitioner (Goswami) protection with regard to exemption from appearance till April 16 when we will hear the plea further, the court said in its order.
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TRP case: Interim relief to Arnab to continue till March 16
The Mumbai police on Friday told the Bombay HC that its assurance of not taking any coercive action against Goswami and other
employees of ARG Outlier Media that runs Republic TV channels, in the TRP scam case, shall continue till March 16.
Senior counsel Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Mumbai police, told a division bench of Justices S S Shinde and Manish Pitale that the police's earlier statement of no coercive action against Goswami and other employees shall be extended till March 16.
The court was hearing a petition filed by ARG Outlier Media, challenging the FIR and the charge sheet filed by the city police for alleged manipulation of television rating points (TRP).
The court accepted Sibal's statement and posted the matter for final hearing on March 16.
The bench will hear ARG's main prayers challenging the police's investigation and seeking the transfer of probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation or any other independent agency, on March 16 via physical hearing.
ARG media and Goswami approached the HC last year filing a bunch of petitions seeking several reliefs in the TRP scam.
They alleged that the whole case was mala fide and that they had been targeted for Republic TV's reportage in the death of actor Sushant Singh Rajput, and the Palghar lynching case, last year.
The Mumbai police had in January this year filed two affidavits in the case through the commissioner of police, Param Bir Singh, and ACP Shashank Sandbhor of the crime branch, saying it had not targeted Republic TV or its employees.
The police had said its probe was not a result of any political vendetta and that there was evidence to show that Goswami had connived with senior officials of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to rig the TRP of Republic TV.
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Panel gets more time for report on notices against Arnab, Kangana
The Maharashtra legislature on Friday extended till the last day of next legislature session the time for the privileges committee to submit its report on breach of privilege notices against Goswami and Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut.
A proposal for deadline extension was moved in the assembly by privileges committee chairman Deepak Kesarkar.
Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik had submitted the breach of privilege notices against Goswami and Ranaut to the office of the Assembly Speaker on September 7 for their 'objectionable' comments.
Sarnaik had taken objection to Goswami's comments against chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and other ministers while reporting on the Sushant Singh Rajput death case.
The breach of privilege notice against Ranaut was for comparing Mumbai with Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK).
Shiv Sena MLC Manisha Kayande had moved the breach of privilege motion in the Legislative Council against Republic TV editor-in-chief Goswami on September 8 last year.
Similarly, Congress MLC Ashok alias Bhai Jagtap had moved a motion against Ranaut on the same day, accusing her of making objectionable remarks about Mumbai and the city police.
The actress last year waded into a controversy after she likened Mumbai to POK and also stated that she feared the Mumbai police more than the movie mafia.
The two houses extended the time of the privileges committee to submit its report on the notices till the end of the next legislature session.
