Panaji : Pop singer Remo Fernandes was granted anticipatory bail on Thursday in connection with a case of allegedly verbally abusing a minor girl, by Goa Children’s Court which observed that there is no possibility of his tampering with the evidence. “The apprehension that the applicant is likely to tamper with the evidence is misplaced and if there is such attempt, it would be a good case for cancellation of bail,” Judge Vandana Tendulkar said in her 18-page order while granting the bail to Remo. The 62-year-old singer has been accused of verbally abusing a minor girl at Goa Medical College and Hospital where she was being treated after getting injured by a car allegedly driven by his son.
After the court order, Remo, in a statement released here, said, “I have full faith in the judiciary, and I know that the truth will surface soon, as it usually does.” Remo was granted anticipatory bail on a personal bond of Rs 50,000. He has also been asked to appear before the investigating officer in the case for ten days from Saturday, from 10 AM to 1 PM. The court also asked the singer to surrender his passport and deposit it with the investigating officer, till the charge sheet is filed in the case. The order, which was passed in a jam-packed court hall in the city, also questions as to what would police achieve through Remo’s custodial interrogation. “No reason is disclosed as to what will be sought to be achieved by custodial interrogation. It is only stated that the presence of applicant is required for custodial interrogation,
without showing the need for it, application for anticipatory bail cannot be rejected,” the judge noted. Citing various other judgements including the one involving Goa’s former chief minister Digambar Kamat, the court said that “the arrest should be the last option and it should be restricted to those exceptional cases where arresting the accused is imperative in the facts and circumstances of the case”. It also said that the act of Remo (after the case was filed) indicates his bonafide intentions of abiding by the process of law instead of absconding and being not available for investigation and trial. “Otherwise also, the applicant is a well-known musician and a prominent personality who would not prefer to flee from the state of Goa. No doubt, the applicant is holder of Portuguese passport, but he has roots in Goa and owns properties in Goa, as mentioned in the application supported by his affidavit,” the judge said.
