The Bombay High Court on Wednesday said a clear notice of three days (excluding holidays) should be given to Republic TV editor-in-chief and owner Arnab Goswami if the investigating officer in the Television Ratings Points manipulation case desired to summon him.
A Division Bench of Justices S.S. Shinde and Manish Pitale said the police should give Mr. Goswami a clear notice of 72 hours before taking coercive action, so as to allow him to approach the competent forum for appropriate relief if he wished to do so.
Public prosecutor Deepak Thakare assured the court that complete investigation in the case would be completed in 12 weeks from now.
The matter will be heard on June 28.
The court listed a few questions to be resolved. It asked if the prayers made on behalf of the petitioners (ARG Outlier Media Private Limited and Mr. Goswami) for quashing the FIR can be entertained, in the absence of petitioners being arraigned as accused in respect of the said FIR. It asked whether the petition can be entertained for the prayers pertaining to the transfer of investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation and direction not to take any coercive steps against the petitioners, as also their employees and agents in connection with the said FIR.
Some questions listed were: “Whether the respondents can be permitted to keep the sword of investigation hanging over the heads of petitioners for an indefinite period without petitioners being arraigned as accused in respect of the said FIR? Whether the Investigation Officer can continue the investigation by invoking said widely worded clause in the charge sheet. Whether the prayers made in the writ petition can be entertained only on the ground of serious malafide alleged against the respondents [Mumbai Police], when the petitioners are admittedly not arraigned as accused in respect of said FIR?”
