The Bombay High Court on Tuesday refused to grant Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami exemption from appearance before the city police in a case about alleged provocative comments.
A division bench of Justices Ujjal Bhuyan and Riyaz Chagla, which was hearing his petition seeking quashing of the FIRs, asked him to appear before the police on Wednesday.
Two First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered against Goswami in Nagpur and Mumbai accusing him of making provocative comments about a community during a news show.
The show was about migrant workers gathering in large numbers outside the Bandra railway terminus during lockdown.
His lawyer Harish Salve on Tuesday sought exemption for him from appearing before the Mumbai police on Wednesday and also later pending the hearing of the petition.
Last month Goswami moved the Supreme Court seeking quashing of all the FIRs lodged against him. The SC on May 19 refused to quash the FIRs lodged in Maharashtra and said he could approach the Bombay High Court for relief.
During the hearing on Tuesday, Maharashtra government's counsel Kapil Sibal opposed the plea for exemption and said his interrogation was necessary for probe.
The bench then directed Goswami to appear before the concerned police station on Wednesday and posted the petition for hearing to June 12.
