MumbaiA magisterial court in Mumbai on Wednesday (July 28) refused bail to Shilpa Shetty’s husband Raj Kundra and Ryan Thorpe, who have been arrested in a case related to the alleged production and dissemination of pornography material on a mobile app. . The 45-year-old businessman will remain in judicial custody till August 10 after the court rejected his bail application.
Raj Kundra had filed a separate petition in the Bombay High Court challenging his arrest, terming his arrest in the alleged pornography case as “illegal”.
Senior advocate Abad Ponda, representing Kundra, told the court that a chargesheet has been filed in the porn case. Citing similarities, Ponda said the other accused have got bail.
Kundra’s counsel argued that more serious charges have been leveled against the other accused than the businessman, who could face a jail term of up to seven years.
Opposing Kundra’s bail plea, the Public Prosecutor said that a second FIR has been registered in the said case. He said the financial audit of Raj Kundra’s companies was not completed and many other victims are sharing their stories.
The public prosecutor also noted that Ryan Thorpe is an IT expert and may “destroy” electronic evidence if he is granted bail. Ponda asked the court whether ‘Kundra is a terrorist’ and argued that he had a family and home in Mumbai and would be available for investigation. He argued that if an offense does not attract life imprisonment or death penalty, then bail is granted in such cases.
Police confiscated Raj Kundra’s passport
The prosecution claimed the possibility of tampering of evidence in the case while Ponda said the same applies to other accused, who have been released on bail. Kundra’s counsel told the court that the businessman could not leave the country as his passport was taken away by the police officers.
According to the Mumbai Police, a victim lodged an FIR at Malvani police station on Tuesday (July 28). The Public Prosecution said Kundra can influence witnesses in the case by using “muscle power”.
The court rejected Kundra’s bail plea after hearing both the sides.
shilpa shetty statement in porn case
Last week, the Crime Branch cell of Mumbai Police had questioned Shilpa Shetty as part of the investigation of the case. A team of Crime Branch recorded his statement after interrogating him for more than six years at his Juhu home. She reportedly broke down during interrogation.
Watch this space for more updates!
(with IANS inputs)
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