Friday 29 March 2024

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Rupesh bailed out, but with stringent conditions

 

Journalist Rupesh Samant has been granted conditional bail by both the courts, in Panaji and Margao, but with stringent conditions laid down on his movement.

Panaji JMFC Ram Prabhudesai released him on bail today morning in all the four cases of sexual harassment filed against him by his junior women journalists and employees.

While surrendering before the court on Sunday, Samant had also filed a bail application, the order on which was issued today morning.

Though released, Samant has been ordered to report to women’s police station every Saturday, from 10 to 11 in the morning.

Besides surrendering his passport, the court has also prohibited him from leaving the state without the permission of the court.

He has also been barred from visiting the offices of HCN cable TV channel or the Press Trust of India, the organisations he was working for.

He has also been told to pay a surety of Rs 25,000 each, the sum total of which would be Rs one lakh.

On the other hand, Margao JMFC Anil Skaria has also released him on bail, with a condition to cooperate with the investigation and pay a surety of Rs 5000.

He was lifted from Panaji last night by Margao police after seeking transfer warrant from the court, in a trespass case of 2013 pending against him.

He was produced in the Margao JMFC court today morning.

Pending his hearing on the bail application, Samant had to spend five days in the police custody and was remanded to 14-day judicial custody yesterday.

Samant had skipped almost eight summons issued against him from the day first case was filed against him on 25 September.

His attempts to seek anticipatory bail however had failed in the Mapusa district and sessions court as well as the high court.

He had then surrendered before the court on 1 November.

BACKGROUND

Samant was working as Goa bureau chief of PTI and anchor of HCN cable TV channel.

He is facing charges of insulting modesty of women through physical act, sending lewd messages on mobile, making sexually coloured remarks and making physical advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures.

The first FIR was filed against him on 25 September based on complaints filed by two women journalists.

This was followed by three more complaints filed against Samant, of varying nature of sexual harassment of his juniors, from 2012 till this year.

However, following the spurt of FIRs of sexual harassment filed against him, Herald Group owning HCN channel has disowned him. 


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