Fabindia apologises, 4 granted bail in CCTV row
6 April 2015 4:19 AM IST
The manner in which the incident played out in the media, both nationally and internationally, forced both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as well as the Congress to express concern about the image of the state, which they believed was being tarnished.
Earlier in the day, four employees of Fabindia’s store in Candolim, who were arrested on Friday for allegedly setting up a CCTV camera which overlooked the store’s changing room where Human Resource Development Minister Irani was trying out clothes, were granted bail by a trial court.
The four — Karim Lakhani, Prashant Naik, Raju Panche and Paresh Bhagat — were released on a personal bond of Rs 5,000 each, after the Judicial Magistrate First Class Mapusa accepted the contention of the defence counsel that the CCTV camera was not installed with malafide intention.
All the four accused are junior employees of the boutique chain and were arrested following a complaint by BJP legislator Michael Lobo under charges of voyeurism, intrusion into privacy and under the Information Technology Act. The Crime Branch, which is investigating the case, is expected to record statements of senior officials of Fabindia as well as managing director William Bissell.
Fabindia Overseas Pvt. Ltd. on Saturday formally apologised to Irani, but denied that there were
any hidden cameras installed anywhere in the store or in the trial rooms and that the camera in question was part of a surveillance system at the outlet. “We would like to convey our apologies to the honourable minister Smriti Irani for the inconvenience that has been inadvertently caused,” the firm said in a statement.
Earlier in the day, four employees of Fabindia’s store in Candolim, who were arrested on Friday for allegedly setting up a CCTV camera which overlooked the store’s changing room where Human Resource Development Minister Irani was trying out clothes, were granted bail by a trial court.
The four — Karim Lakhani, Prashant Naik, Raju Panche and Paresh Bhagat — were released on a personal bond of Rs 5,000 each, after the Judicial Magistrate First Class Mapusa accepted the contention of the defence counsel that the CCTV camera was not installed with malafide intention.
All the four accused are junior employees of the boutique chain and were arrested following a complaint by BJP legislator Michael Lobo under charges of voyeurism, intrusion into privacy and under the Information Technology Act. The Crime Branch, which is investigating the case, is expected to record statements of senior officials of Fabindia as well as managing director William Bissell.
Fabindia Overseas Pvt. Ltd. on Saturday formally apologised to Irani, but denied that there were
any hidden cameras installed anywhere in the store or in the trial rooms and that the camera in question was part of a surveillance system at the outlet. “We would like to convey our apologies to the honourable minister Smriti Irani for the inconvenience that has been inadvertently caused,” the firm said in a statement.
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