JMFC issues non-bailable warrant, HC to hear Rupesh on Thu
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 26 October 2015 18:06 IST
The Panaji court today issued a non-bailable warrant against Rupesh Samant, a journalist who is absconding for last one month, facing four cases of sexual harassment.
After hearing the plea made in this regard by Women’s police station, Panaji JMFC Saee Prabhudesai issued the non-bailable warrant today.
The hearing was held on Friday and today.
“The warrant in hand would now help us in nabbing him, even if he is hiding outside the state”, PI Sudiksha Naik told goanews.com.
The police department has constituted a four-member team, headed by DySP Nilu Raut Desai, to handle Samant’s case.
After the first FIR with two complainants was filed on 25 September, Samant was issued the first summons next day to appear before the police, exactly one month ago.
Since then, he skipped all the eight summons served at his Altinho residence.
The Mapusa district and sessions court also rejected his anticipatory bail application on 14 October.
Meanwhile, the high court today decided to hear his appeal on 29 October.
Samant has challenged the order of lower court, rejecting his anticipatory bail plea, in the Bombay high court at Goa.
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 had disowned him while he is not found on PTI duty.
