Arnab Goswami Case Was Listed Urgently As It Pertained To Liberty And Freedom Of Media, Says SC

In his writ petition, Advocate Reepak Kansal pointed out that the Writ Petition tilted Arnab Ranjan Goswami v. UOI was filed on 23.4.2020 at 8.07 p.m. without annexure and that the Registry did not point out any defects, and a special supplementary list was uploaded on the same day. He said that he made a complaint to Secretary ­General in this regard but the same was not responded to.

With respect to these allegations, the bench comprising of Justices Arun Mishra and S. Abdul Nazeer made the above quoted observations. The bench dismissed the plea observing that baseless and reckless allegations have been made against the Registry of the Court. The Court also imposed cost of Rs.100 (Rupees One Hundred only) on the lawyer 'as a token to remind his responsibility towards noble profession and that he ought not to have preferred such a petition.' 

On 23rd April, the bench comprising Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah had heard the petition filed by Republic TV Anchor seeking quashing of FIR filed against him for disturbing communal harmony over the gathering of Migrants in Bandra. The Court had also granted three weeks protection from arrest to Arnab Goswami, Editor-in-Chief of the Republic TV, on the basis of the FIRs filed against him in the States of Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Jammu & Kashmir.

Later, the Court declined Goswami's prayer to transfer the investigation from Maharashtra police to the Central Bureau of Investigation. The court also turned down his prayer to quash the FIR, saying that powers under Article 32 of the Constitution cannot be exercised for such purposes. However, the SC quashed the multiple FIRs filed in various states over the reports, and confined the investigation only to the FIR lodged in Mumbai.

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