Accused journo instilled insecurity among women at work: Judge
Dismisses anticipatory bail application of accused journalist
THE GOAN NETWORK
MAPUSA
A Mapusa court on Wednesday rejected the anticipatory bail of the accused journalist, Rupesh Samant, who is facing a series of charges of sexual harassment against women journalists at work.
The order allows the police to arrest Samant and take him into custody.
Samant’s counsel, however, said he will move fresh bail application before the High Court.
Samant, who is a senior TV host with a local cable news channel and as well as with a national newswire service, Press Trust of India, has been booked under various sections of IPC for sexually harassing young women journalists at work.
“The offences committed by the accused who is otherwise in a respected position of a senior journalist, has instilled a sense of insecurity among the women at large who work outside their house and has shaken the collective conscience of the society,” the Additional Sessions, Judge, Vijaya Pol said while dismissing the bail application of the accused at around 5.10 pm.
A judgment of much significance, Judge Pol relied on a series of previous cases including judgments in SC where the antecedents of the accused have to be taken into consideration.
“The SC in the case of 'Siddharam Mhetre' has clearly stated that the antecedents of the applicant and the reasonable apprehension of threat of influence to the complainant are some of the factors to be considered in the anticipatory bail application,” the order read.
The court said that cases filed so far against the accused were of heinous in nature. It also appears that the accused was a habitual offender, the judge said.
“The crimes of the accused against many women covering number of years during which the accused was in dominating position and the audacity and the freedom and the fearless manner in which the accused went on committing the crimes against the women, make the offences committed by him heinous in nature and obnoxious to the civilized society,” the order read.
The court also observed that the complaints by the victims and the statements of the witnesses strongly show that the accused was in the habit of sending vulgar and lewd messages and porn material to the woman staff.
“He did not hesitate even to physically touch and asking sexual favours from them,” the judge observed.
Over the delay in filing the complaints, the court said it was a sensitive crime and the delay in lodging the complaints was inconsequential.
“In such sensitive crimes against women, it cannot be expected of female victim to lodge complaint against the offender immediately, as the reputation and honour of the woman was at stake,” the order said.
The court further said one of the victims had clearly stated in her complaint that she could not complain to the management, as she had no faith in them and the management had protected the accused in connection with a similar incident in the past.
The court also observed that the IO expects more women victims will come forward to lodge complaints against the accused after his anticipatory bail is rejected, as the evidence collected by the IO show that the accused has committed similar crimes against more women.
“The lodging of many FIRs against the accused by the female victims shows that the accused is a habitual offender and is used to committing such types of crimes against women,” the court said.
Relying on the SC order in the case of 'Neeru Yadav V/s State of UP and anr.' dated Sept 29, 2015, the court said habitual offenders do not deserve anticipatory bail.
Four FIRs of sexual harassment have been filed against Samant by five women journalists.
Meanwhile, Samant has been absconding even as eight summons were served to him to appear before the investigation officer.
The hearing on the anticipatory bail was held in the District and Sessions Court, Mapusa on October 9.
Public Prosecutor, Sunita Nagvenkar, appeared for the State while Adv Raju Poulekar was the counsel for the alleged accused.
