Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and his wife Samyabrata Ray Goswami on Wednesday approached a sessions court in Mumbai seeking pre-arrest bail in a case registered against them for allegedly assaulting a woman police officer.
Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court granted Goswami interim bail in a case of alleged abetment to suicide of interior designer Anvay Naik in 2018.
He was released from Taloja prison in Navi Mumbai late in the evening.
Last week, a first information report was registered against Goswami, his wife and his son at N M Joshi Marg police station in central
Mumbai for allegedly assaulting a woman police officer when a police team went to his house to arrest him in the suicide case on November 4.
Goswami and Samyabrata on Wednesday filed anticipatory bail pleas which are likely to be heard by additional sessions judge P B Jadhav on Thursday, court sources said.
Advocate Shyam Kalyankar, their lawyer, said Goswami and his wife had only verbally protested his 'illegal arrest' from his Lower Parel house here last Wednesday.
"Neither Goswami nor his wife assaulted any police official. We are relying on several videos recorded in the morning of November 4 when the police barged into their house," he said.
Around 40 armed police personnel were present at the time of the alleged incident, the lawyer claimed, asking 'who will deter a public servant (from doing his duty) in the presence of such a huge number'.
"We were only protesting the illegal arrest," Kalyankar said.
Goswami and his wife were booked under Indian Penal Code sections 353 (assault to deter public servant from discharge of his duty), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace) and 506 (criminal intimidation) and under the Damage to Public Property Act.
The complainant in the case is 49-year-old police officer Sujata Tanvade, who alleged that Goswami, his wife and son assaulted her on that day.
Arnab's wife writes to SC alleging malicious attempt by SCBA president
Earlier in the day, Samyabrata wrote to the Supreme Court Secretary General against SC Bar Association president Dushyant Dave alleging 'malicious attempt' by him to cause prejudice to the hearing on the bail plea of her husband.
SCBA president Dushyant Dave on Tuesday wrote a letter to secretary general of the top court lodging 'strong protest' on 'selective listing' of Goswami's interim bail plea in the 2018 case of alleged abetment to suicide of an interior designer, before a vacation bench on Wednesday.
The top court on Wednesday granted interim bail to Goswami.
Samyabrata said that she was shocked at the 'publicly circulated abhorrent' letter by senior advocate to the Secretary General of the Supreme Court of India, implying that due process was not followed in the listing of the Special Leave Petition filed on behalf of Goswami.
'Today, when I read Shri Dave's letter, I am shocked and horrified at the extent to which certain vested interests are at work. Neither do I know Shri Dave, nor have I ever met him.
'However, the selective targeting of my husband's petition by Shri Dave shall have to be opposed by me, given his silence on other matters which were taken up by this Supreme Court in its wisdom with urgency in the past,' Samyabrata said.
Dave's silence in some matters and his 'selective outrage' in the present case is not only prejudicial to the cause of justice for her husband but is contemptuous as it tends to interfere with the administration of justice, she said.
Dave, in his letter, had mentioned that he had nothing personal against Goswami and he was not writing in any way to interfere with his rights to move the Supreme Court like all citizens.
'The serious issue here is selective listing of matters that the registry under your leadership is indulging in for last eight months during COVID pandemic.
'While thousands of citizens remain in jails, languishing for long periods while their matters filed before the Supreme Court are not getting listed for weeks and months, it is, to say the least, deeply disturbing as to how and why every time Goswami approaches the Supreme Court, his matter gets listed instantly,' Dave said.
The SCBA chief had further questioned 'Is there any special order or direction from the Chief Justice of India and the Master of the Roaster in this regard?' and added that it is quite well known that such 'extraordinarily urgent listings' of matters cannot and does not take place without specific orders from the Chief Justice.
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