Two accused of attacking Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV Arnab Goswami released on bail

A Mumbai Court on Monday granted bail to the two men accused of attacking Editor-in-Chief of Republic TV Arnab Goswami, after directing them to furnish a bond of Rs 15,000 each, legal news website BarandBench.com reported.

The two accused men, Pratik Kumar Shamsunder Mishra and Arun Dilip Borade, were produced before the Magistrate's Court in Mumbai's Bhoiwada, where they were remanded to judicial custody after being in police custody for five days.

The accused, through their lawyer Advocate Sunil Pandey, moved for bail, with Pandey arguing that there is no incremental development in the investigation against the two. Pandey further argued that the FIR filed by Goswami was "politically motivated".

The lawyer for the accused also took objection to the "viral" video statement made by Goswami immediately preceding the registration of the FIR against the accused persons. The court proceeded to grant bail to the accused, upon furnishing of a bond of Rs. 15,000, BarandBench.com reported.

The two men were arrested by the Mumbai Police on the intervening night between April 22 and 23 after the duo allegedly carried out the attack against Goswami and his wife Samyabrata Ray, who were travelling by car in Mumbai's Lower Parel locality. An FIR was registered by the NM Jioshi Marg Police Station soon after Goswami lodged a complaint.

The FIR registered against the duo lists charges under Section 339 (wrongful restraint), Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), and Section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.