Rupesh arrested by Margao police, gets 14-day JC in Panaji cases
GOANEWS DESK, PANAJI | 05 November 2015 20:27 IST
Journalist Rupesh Samant was today formally arrested and taken to Margao police custody while the court sent him to judicial custody for Panaji-based offences of sexual harassment.
JMFC court of Panaji granted warrant arrest for Samant, sought by Margao police. He was wanted in a trespass case of 2013.
“We will produce him before the JMFC court tonight, seeking police custody”, said South Goa SP Shekhar Prabhudesai.
The offences registered against Samant in Margao are non-bailable and cognisable in nature.
Samant, who was often seen on HCN TV channel, was reported as ‘not found’ in the trespass case of Margao, filed two years ago.
Meanwhile, Panaji JMFC Ram Prabhudesai granted 14-day judicial custody to Samant in the series of cases pertaining to sexual harassment.
After he had surrendered before the court on 1 November, Samant has been in police custody for the last five days.
Women’s police station, who is probing into sexual abuse cases against Samant, had sought further remand of five days to police custody.
The Panaji JMFC however refused and sent him to judicial custody.
According to police, his 14-day judicial custody would begin only after he is transferred back to Panaji from Margao.
His custody – police or judicial or both – in Margao cannot be mixed up with judicial custody of Panaji-based offences, sources told goanews.com.
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.
