[Abetment to Suicide] Filing of chargesheet would be "grotesque mockery" of Supreme Court order: Arnab Goswami moves Bombay HC for stay on probe

Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV, Arnab Goswami, has filed an interim application the Bombay High Court seeking a stay on the filing of chargesheet by the Raigad Police in the abetment to suicide case of interior designer, Anvay Naik and his mother Kumud Naik and any further probe into the case. .Goswami has also prayed for a stay on any further probe into the case and also sought 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 application filed through law firm, Phoenix Legal, Goswami has placed reliance on the Supreme Court judgment of November 27 to contend that the subsequent conduct of Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh was in "open disregard" to the top court's ruling. The application has been filed in a pending plea filed by him earlier seeking quashing of the First Information Report (FIR) against him in the case. .It is Goswami's case that the State government acted with malicious intent and allowing chargesheet to be filed in the case after the Supreme Court's observations on November 27 would be a "grotesque mockery" of the apex court's directions.."Should such a chargesheet be filed only with malicious intent to stifle the means of justice and legal remedy available to the Petitioner and more importantly pending the final hearing of the present Writ Petition, it would be nothing but travesty of justice. Such an act if allowed would be a grotesque mockery of the directions and law as laid down by the Hon’ble Supreme court in its order dated 27 November 2020 or otherwise," the application filed by Goswami states..Allowing chargesheet to be filed would be a grotesque mockery of directions and law laid down by the Supreme Court in its order of November 27.Arnab Goswami.The Supreme Court had, on November 11, released Goswami on bail. A speaking order giving detailed reasons for the same was pronounced on November 27. In that order, the top court had said that prima facie, it could not be held that Goswami had abetted the suicide of Anvay Naik. The abetment case against Goswmai was filed based on Naik's suicide note which claimed that Goswami and two others owed him substantial amount of money which they failed to pay up prompting him to take his own life. .“...If the High Court were to carry out a prima facie evaluation, it would have been impossible for it not to notice the disconnect between the FIR and the provisions of Section 306 of the IPC," the Supreme Court said in its judgment..Goswmai has said in his latest application that the Home Department of Maharashtra State interfered in the present abetment to suicide case and the same was obvious from the facts and circumstances. .Statement of Maharashtra Home Minister is an open disregard and an unapologetic contravention of the judgement of the Supreme Court.Arnab Goswami.In this regard, he has placed reliance upon the direction of the Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh calling for a re-investigation in the abetment case of Anvay Naik. He has also adverted to declaration made by Deshmukh during the Assembly session giving reassurance of an elaborate enquiry..Importantly, he has taken issue with the announcement made by Deshmukh at a press conference on November 29, 2020 that "...a charge sheet would be filed soon in the suicide case of architect-interior designer Anvay Naik, in which Arnab Goswami is an accused.”."The said statement of the Maharashtra Home Minister is an open disregard and an unapologetic contravention of the judgement of the Supreme Court. It is pertinent to mention that this shocking premeditated political declaration by Mr. Anil Deshmukh came at a news conference 12 hours after the Hon’ble Supreme Court delivered the said judgement dated 27th November 2020," the application states..The above statement and the corresponding investigation at the behest of the Home Department not only establishes the malicious and malafide intent guiding the overall investigation in the present case but also exposes the complete subversion of the Supreme Court order of November 27, Goswami added. .Supreme Court grants Arnab Goswami interim bail: Read LIVE ACCOUNT of court proceedings here.It is, therefore, his contention that the case is merely to target him "for his news broadcasts criticizing the Maharashtra government and the Maharashtra police and the manner in which he was illegally arrested.".Based on the above, he has sought a stay on the filing of chargesheet and on all proceedings including investigation into the case till the Bombay High Court decides his plea for quashing of the FIR.