Fabindia's senior officials seek anticipatory bail

Panaji, April 9: Seven senior officials of Fabindia, including its CEO and MD, have applied for anticipatory bail in a Goa court after being summoned by police in connection with a voyeurism case.

Company's Managing Director William Bissel, Chief Executive Officer Subrata Dutta and five others applied for anticipatory bail yesterday in district court in Mapusa town, Superintendent of Police (CB) Kartik Kashyap told PTI on Thursday.

The other five officials who have sought anticipatory bail to avoid arrest are - Fabindia's regional manager Ruchira Pujari, marketing chief Ramu Chandra, stores in-charge Kundan Gupta, E-commerce head Arun Naikar and category head Ashima Agarwal, he said. Their applications would be heard today by the court.

The district court had earlier this week granted anticipatory bail to Fabindia's Candolim store manager Chaitrali Sawant, who was questioned by crime branch on Wednesday.

Kashyap said that several Fabindia officials have been summoned for questioning on Thursday while the company's MD and CEO have agreed to be present before the investigators tomorrow.

Goa police had arrested four employees of Fabindia outlet at Candolim village near here after Union HRD minister Smriti Irani, who visited the store on April 3, alleged that it had a CCTV camera focusing at the trial room. [Fabindia apologises to Irani, but denies installing spycams]

They were booked under IPC sections 354C (voyeurism), 509 (intrusion into privacy) and IT Act's section 66E (capturing, publishing image of private area of any person without his/her consent). They were later granted bail.

Fabindia has denied it had placed hidden cameras in any of its stores, holding that the camera in question was part of the surveillance system.

PTI