Supreme Court also observed that the high court was “in error in rejecting the application for grant of interim bail”.
The Indian Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami in a case related to abetment to suicide of interior designer Anvay Naik.
Goswami, who is a loud supporter of India’s ruling Modi government, was arrested on November 4 and has been under judicial custody since then.
The top court also allowed the interim release of co-accused Neetish Sarda and Firoze Mohammed Sheikh in the case.
A vacation bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee passed the order after an urgent hearing given to the petitions challenging the November 9 order of the Bombay High Court which denied the accused interim bail in the habeas corpus petitions filed by them challenging their custody.
According legal portal livelaw.com, the top court also observed that the high court was “in error in rejecting the application for grant of interim bail”.
The court said that Raigad police should ensure the compliance of the order of release forthwith. The accused should execute a personal bond for an amount of Rs50,000 for release on interim bail.
During the hearing, Justice Chandrachud had expressed disappointment that the high court 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 (Goswami). You may not like his ideology. Left to myself, I will not watch his channel,” he said.
