PANJIM: After being on the run for about 35 days and facing multiple rejections for his anticipatory bail, journalist Rupesh Samant surrendered before judicial magistrate Ashley Noronha under section 44 CrPC at about 11.30 am on Sunday. He was taken into custody by the court itself and remanded to one day police custody. Samant also filed for regular bail under section 437 CrPC which will come up for hearing before the same magistrate at 12 noon on Tuesday.
The senior journalist, who was absconding from 25 September, 2015 – the same day an FIR was filed against him for sexual harassment by two women journalists. This was followed by three more complaints against Samant, of varying nature of sexual harassment of his juniors, from 2012 till this year. In total, Samant is presently facing four complaints, filed by five lady journalists and employees, relating to different types of sexual harassment. He is facing charges of insulting the modesty of women through physical acts, sending lewd messages on mobile, making sexually coloured remarks and making physical advances involving unwelcome and explicit sexual overtures.
As Samant had not responded to almost eight summons issued to him, Goa police had issued a look-out notice against him, also circulating it at police stations in Karnataka and Maharashtra. The police had also sought a non-bailable warrant against him. Meanwhile, Samant’s anticipatory bail was rejected by the Mapusa district and sessions court on 14 October. His second attempt to appeal in the high court was also proved futile with the higher court dismissing his appeal on 30 October.
Samant was working as Goa bureau chief of PTI and anchor of a local cable TV channel.
Rupesh Samant comes out of hiding; surrenders
