Alibag Court Allows Police To Question Arnab Goswami For 3 Hours Daily In Taloja Prison

The Chief Judicial Magistrate Court at Alibag allowed the police team investigating the Anvay Naik abetment to suicide case to interrogate Republic TV Arnab Goswami for three hours at Taloja. The Raigad police had moved a plea seeking permission to interrogate Arnab for a specific time period daily at Taloja jail. Earlier, on November 6, the Magistrate had passed the order allowing police to interrogate Goswami for three hours daily at Alibag. On Sunday, he was shifted from Alibag to Taloja central prison.The permission to interrogate Arnab has been granted in compliance with Maharashtra Prison Rules till the time he is able to obtain bail.On the other hand, the Sessions Court on Monday adjourned till tomorrow the revision application by the local Crime Branch against the CJM, Alibag's order rejecting police custody and granting judicial custody of Arnab instead. The Bombay High Court today rejected Arnab's interim bail plea observing that further investigation in the case is not illegal and rights of victims is also important along with that of the accused. Ahead of the pronouncement of the order, application for regular bail was filed and it was expected to be heard today. However, the Court decided to take up hearing the revision application filed by the police first. Tomorrow the revision application will be heard at 11 am and the bail application may be heard thereafter.It was argued on behalf of Arnab that the arrest is illegal as an 'A summary' was already filed and the case was reopened without the Magistrate's permission. Whereas, the prosecution sought police custody as they wanted to investigate the case thoroughly.Public Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat confirmed that the Court accepted the prosecution's argument that police interrogation of the accused was necessary and allowed the police to question him for three hours.In the order refusing interim bail to Republic TV anchor Arnab Goswami, the Bombay High Court observed that the further investigation started by Raigad police in the Anvay Naik suicide case "cannot be termed as illegal and without seeking permission of the Magistrate".A division bench of Justices SS Shinde and MS Karnik rejected the arguments raised by Goswami's lawyers- Senior Advocates Harish Salve and Abad Ponda - that the police action against him was illegal as they could not have suo moto revived the investigation after the Magistrate had accepted closure report in the case in 2019.(The initial version of the story had reported that the order allowing police interrogation was passed by Alibaug Sessions Court today. The same was a mistake and the copy has been corrected accordingly. The error is deeply regretted).

Alibag Court Allows Police To Question Arnab Goswami For 3 Hours Daily In Taloja Prison

Nitish Kashyap

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