Supreme Court stays investigation on multiple FIRs against Arnab Goswami

arnab SC

The Supreme Court on Friday granted three weeks of protection against any coercive action against Republic TV chief Arnab Goswami regarding the multiple FIRs filed against him in the states of Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Telangana and Jammu,and Kashmir.

The bench comprising of Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice MR Shah said ‘no coercive actions to be taken against him for two weeks’. The bench said,

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“Court intends to protect the petitioner for a period of three weeks from today and permit him to move anticipatory bail application before the trial court or high court. For a period of two weeks, the petitioner shall be protected against any coercive steps in relation to the FIRs arising out of the telecast which took place on April 21.”

Except for the FIR filed at Nagpur, Maharashtra (FIR number 238 filed on April 22), further proceedings of the rest of the FIRs shall remain stayed according to the orders of the Supreme Court. The court also said that if any FIRs are filed hereafter that arises out of a similar incident, they will also remain stayed. The Bench also directed the Commissioner of the Mumbai Police to give protection to the Republic TV office and the petitioner, Arnab Goswami.

Is he a privileged person, asks Sibal

Senior advocate Mukul Rohtagi who appeared for Goswami submitted before the court that the individual complaints cannot be impleaded as Goswami had to file the petition a day after the ‘murderous’ attack on him in Mumbai.

Courtesy: Northeast Now

Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who appeared for the State of Maharashtra, argued that the telecast on April 21 was provocation against a community as it tried to paint a communal picture for the Palghar lynching incident and also tarnished the image of the Congress President Sonia Gandhi. Sibal called the petition ‘fake freedom of speech’. Sibal argued against the clubbing of FIRs together. He also asked if Goswami is a privileged person that an investigation cannot take place against him.

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The FIRs that were filed in various states alleged that the telecast carried out by Goswami promoted enmity between the two groups and was against national integration. The sections mentioned in FIRs are 153A, 153B, 295A, 500, 504, 505 of the Indian Penal Code.

Source: Live Law