Supreme Court grants three weeks interim protection from arrest to Arnab Goswami

National

The Supreme Court on Friday granted three-week interim protection against arrest to journalist Arnab Goswami with reference to FIRs lodged against him for defamatory statements in made during a discussion on television on the Palghar mob lynching. Justices DY Chandrachud and MR Shah have also issued notices to Centre, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir where several cases were filed against the anchor.

The apex court also stayed all FIRs against Goswami, barring the one filed at Sadar Police station in Nagpur which will be transferred to Mumbai for investigation. The bench asked the Mumbai Police Commissioner to give security to Arnab and his office Republic TV. The remarks were made by the journalist during his primetime show on Republic TV on April 21.

On Thursday, Arnab moved the Supreme Court to obtain a stay on the FIRs. Goswami claims that all the FIRs filed against him are false and are purposely done by Congress activists to harass and dissuade him from practicing investigative journalism and bringing the reality in front of the audience.

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Republic TV editor in chief Arnab Goswami and wife were attacked early this morning in Mumbai by 2 unknown persons while they were driving home from their studios. A police complaint has been registered, details awaited. Both Arnab and Samia Goswami were unhurt in the attack. pic.twitter.com/wzsDnu2QLL

— ANI (@ANI) April 23, 2020

In his petition, Goswami said the complaints and FIRs against him is a part of a malicious campaign held by Congress and its activists of instituting groundless complaints against him. Though some of the FIRs against the journalist are for criminal defamation of Gandhi, Goswami’s petition does not carry anything against Congress president Sonia Gandhi.