Published 00:37 IST, November 11th 2020
'Is Arnab not a citizen of the country?': Gaurav Bhatia reacts to Dave's objection on plea
Gaurav Bhatia slammed Dushyant Dave's letter to the SC, stating that the top court always placed priority on matters of 'personal liberty'.
Senior lawyer and former Secretary of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) Gaurav Bhatia slammed SCBA President Dushyant Dave's letter to the SC questioning urgent listing for Arnab's plea, stating that the top court always placed priority on matters of 'personal liberty', adding that he was 'misusing' the name of the SCBA to lobby his agenda. "If you ask me on what matters should be taken on the earliest, they are matters of personal liberty. Here we all know that the personal liberty of Arnab Goswami is at stake and prima facie his fundamental rights have been violated. So I think it is a very welcome decision of the honorable Supreme Court," he said.
"Is Arnab not a citizen of the country, is equality before the law not applicable to Arnab? This is the same lobby that tries to browbeat the SC when they want their matters to be up for urgent hearing. He is misusing the name of the SCBA, and many lawyers of the SC are upset with this letter. There are lobbies with hidden agenda that are trying to target Arnab for his fight for truth. It is for the SC to decide to give him a fair hearing or not, these letters will have no bearing," he added.
SCBA President writes to SC
On Tuesday, SCBA president Dushyant Dave sought to scuttle the SC's hearing on Arnab Goswami's plea challenging the rejection of his interim bail petition. In a letter addressed to SC Secretary-General, Dave lodged a strong protest with the urgent listing of Arnab's Special Leave Petition. While claiming that he did not want to interfere with Arnab's right to move the Supreme Court, he accused the top court of selectively listing matters for the last 8 months. He has since been countered by an ever-growing list of senior lawyers.
Former Additional Solicitor General of India Vikas Singh spoke exclusively to Republic TV on Dave's letter. The ex-SCBA president opined that matters concerning individual liberty should be listed even during a holiday. To buttress his point, Singh recalled that he had got journalist Vinod Dua's matter listed in the apex court during the vacation. Maintaining that the top court was correct in hearing Arnab's plea out of turn, he added that the SC should make an exception in every case involving infringement of personal liberty.
Updated 00:37 IST, November 11th 2020