Supreme Court grants arrest shield to Arnab Goswami, Assembly officer gets contempt notice

The Supreme Court issued a contempt notice Friday to the assistant secretary of the Maharashtra Assembly who, in a letter to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, had questioned him for approaching the top court against the breach of privilege notice and producing before it “confidential” communications from the Speaker and the House Privileges Committee.

Stating that the “intention” of the Assembly officer appeared to be to “intimidate” Goswami because he “approached this Court” and to “threaten him with a penalty for seeking legal remedy”, the bench of Chief Justice of India S A Bobde and Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubra-manian directed that Goswami not be arrested in the privilege matter until further orders.