Gaurav Bhatia asks CJI to take Suo Motu cognisance of Arnab Goswami case

Senior advocate Gaurav Bhatia has shot off a letter to the Chief Justice of India asking him to take Suo Motu cognizance of the blatant violation of basic human rights in the Arnab Goswami case and put a stop to "travesty of justice being inflicted by the Maharashtra government and the Mumbai police on him".

He accused the Maharashtra government and the Mumbai Police of acting in a malafide, arbitrary and unconstitutional manner from the beginning.

The citizens of the country are watching this and the arrest of a reputed journalist, Goswami who is the Managing Director and Editor-in-Chief of the Republic Media Network is a direct assault on the Media, the fourth pillar of democracy, Bhatia, also BJP spokesperson, said in his letter.

Republic Media and Goswami are being targeted and vilified for performing their duty. They are being penalised for asking tough questions to the Maharashtra government in cases like the brutal murders of priests in Palgarh, Maharashtra, Sushant Singh Rajput case and others, he claimed.

"This court has always been the last refuge for every citizen of this country for the protection of his fundamental rights and with this gleaming hope I write this letter," he said.

He said Goswami was abruptly shifted from Alibaug Jail quarantine center to Taloja Jail in a jail van with windows covered with black screens on November 8.

Goswami can be heard shouting for his life and stating that he has been assaulted. He is also seen shouting that there is a grave threat to his life in prison.

"The fact that he faces a serious and imminent threat to his life, has compelled me to write this letter to Your Lordship. A valuable human life cannot be endangered due to procedural norms and thus I beseech your Lordship to intervene and ensure that life and liberty of a citizen is protected," Bhatia said in his letter.

The Supreme Court has in a catena of judgements laid down the law, that a person even under arrest should be treated with dignity, more so when he is not a habitual offender and a hardened criminal, he said.

In a related development, a senior employee of Republic Media Network, Pradeep Bhandari, also wrote a similar letter asking the CJI to take Suo motu cognizance in the case.