Maharashtra Govt Withdraws Petition Filed In Supreme Court Challenging HC Order Staying FIRs Against Arnab Goswami

The State of Maharashtra on Monday withdrew its petition challenging the Bombay High Court's 2020 order which had stayed probe into two FIRs filed against Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami for allegedly making inflammatory comments. The petition had been listed before a bench of CJI DY Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli. 

The counsel for the State said that the order of the Bombay High Court was an interim order and thus, he had instructions to withdraw the said petition. Liberty was granted to the petitioner to withdraw the said petition.

Two FIRs had been filed against Arnab Goswami for allegedly communalizing the coverage of Palghar mob lynching incident and the incident regarding gathering of migrants outside Bandra station during lockdown. However, the Bombay High Court had granted relief to Republic TV Chief Arnab Goswami while observing that "we cannot have a Damocles sword hanging over the head of a journalist while conducting a public debate". Arnab Goswami was booked under Sections 153, 153 A, 153 B, 295 A, 298, 500, 504, 505(2), 506, 120 B and 117 of the Indian Penal Code.

The Bombay High Court had noted that it could not be said that any offence had been committed by Goswami of provoking, rioting or promoting or attempting to promote, on the grounds of religion, disharmony or feelings of enmity, hatred or ill-will between different religious groups which was prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious groups or which disturbed or was likely to disturb public tranquility, thus prejudicial to national integrity.

CASE TITLE: State of Maharashtra And Ors. v. Arnab Ranjan Goswami And Ors. SLP(Crl) No. 4377/2020

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