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Updated July 1st, 2020 at 16:16 IST

'Lessons must be learnt,' says Harish Salve as HC suspends Cong FIRs against Arnab Goswami

Senior Advocate Harish Salve who appeared for Republic's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in the Bombay HC on Tuesday, shared his thoughts on the legal victory

Reported by: Jay Pandya
Arnab Goswami
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In a massive victory for the Team Republic, the Bombay High Court on Tuesday suspended all Congress-sponsored FIRs against Republic Media Network's Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami filed over its coverage of the Palghar lynching incident and the gathering of migrant workers at Bandra railway station.

'Regime Revenge has to stop'

Senior Advocate Harish Salve who appeared for Arnab Goswami in the Bombay High Court on Tuesday spoke to the Editor-in-Chief on his primetime 'The Debate'. Elaborating on the larger lessons that emerge out of the court's judgment beyond the 'Republic vs Congress angle', Harish Salve said that "one thing bothers him".

"We have to mature as a Republic. This kind of sin state machinery, to go after people we don't like, be it be journalist or political opponent and these lessons have to be learnt. We have seen this happen too often and especially at the level of state governments. I am not blaming any one government but usually happens a lot," the former Solicitor General of India said.

He added, "My friend Dr Rajeev Dhawan had coined a very nice phrase for this. In Tamil Nadu, for example he used to call it 'Regime Revenge' This kind of thing has to stop."

'We have to strengthen our police system'

Harish Salve sharing a "great concern" said that India has a completely unaccountable system. He suggested that the police system in the country needs to be strengthened and the police have to be made accountable.

"I am sure Mahesh Jethmalani (also on the panel) will agree with me, we have a completely unaccountable system. The police can lock you up and throw you inside. Tomorrow you go to Court and say I want compensation for wrongful arrest, nobody turns around and gives you anything. In the UK, you can sue the government for the wrong arrest. We need to strengthen our police system and we have been fighting this for a long time. We have to make them independent and also accountable," the Senior Advocate said.

Arnab Goswami's statement

After the FIRs were suspended, Arnab Goswami said, "I am extremely grateful to our legal team and personally grateful and forever indebted to India's foremost lawyer Mr Harish Salve for fighting on our behalf and fighting with everything. I would also like to thank the entire team of Pheonix Legal for staying with me throughout the fight."

READ | Arnab Goswami’s second interrogation ends, says ‘placed facts before the Mumbai Police’

READ | Arnab Goswami requests Mumbai Police to start interrogation as CFO’s questioning continues

Stating that it was the Congress party and its chief that had lost, Arnab added, "What has also lost is the attempt to use the tactics of the emergency to try and say you can file multiple FIRs against a single journalist, to drag him from one state to the other, to use your police apparatus, to use your government to get the upper hand. You cannot get the upper hand when you are wrong on ethics."

READ | Republic and Arnab Goswami win; Bombay High Court suspends Congress-sponsored FIRs

READ | Arnab Goswami says "Truth is on my side; We will win," before Mumbai Police interrogation

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Published July 1st, 2020 at 09:09 IST

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