NEW DELHI: In a major relief to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, the Supreme Court has granted him protection from arrest in Maharashtra assembly’s breach of privilege motion against him for his reportage on actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death case. 

The court highlighted Article 32 stating that the right to approach the court is a fundamental right and no citizen can be deterred from exercising that. 

The apex court has also served a show-cause notice to the secretary of the Maharashtra legislative assembly for a letter sent to Goswami cautioning him against disclosing house notice to the apex court. The notice directs the assembly secretary to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him. The assembly secretary has been given two weeks’ time to send in his reply. 

In September, Shiv Sena MLA Pratap Sarnaik had moved the privilege motion against Goswami in the assembly for the journalist’s “derogatory language” and “baseless remarks” against chief minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP president Sharad Pawar while covering the Sushant Singh Rajput case. 

On a related note, Goswami is currently remanded in 14-day judicial custody for his connection to a 2018 case of abetment to suicide of an interior designer. The order in his plea for interim protection is expected to come today.