Raj Kundra released from Mumbai jail

Raj Kundra, a businessman, walked out of a Mumbai jail on Tuesday, a day after a local court granted bail to the primary accused in the case of a pornographic film in which he was detained two months ago. According to a prison official, Kundra was released from the Arthur Road Jail just after 11.30 a.m. Kundra was seen leaving the jail in a red car, wearing a grey t-shirt, and surrounded by a swarm of journalists.

On Monday, Chief Metropolitan Magistrate SB Bhajipale granted Kundra’s bail plea in exchange for a 50,000 bond. The court also granted bail to Ryan Thorpe, the 46-year-old businessman’s friend and co-accused, who was detained with him on July 19. The case involves the alleged creation of pornographic movies and their publication through several apps. The Indian Penal Code, the Information Technology Act, and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act were all used to prosecute Raj Kundra.

Kundra, the husband of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty, was taken into judicial custody at the Arthur Road Jail in downtown Mumbai. After the police filed a new charge sheet in the case, Kundra filed a bail application with the metropolitan magistrate court on Saturday. Kundra claimed in his plea, filed through attorney Prashant Patil, that the prosecution had shown no evidence linking the Hotshots mobile app, which was used in the alleged pornographic film fraud, to a criminal offence.According to the investigation agency, the accused utilised the Hotshots app to publish and stream obscene content. He said there was no proof of his “actively” participating in the development of suspected dubious porn content. Kundra said he was unfairly accused, was not even listed in the FIR, and was pulled into the case by the respondent (police). Kundra further stated that he is being used as a “scapegoat” for reasons only investigators know about. He further stated that the allegation in the case does not reveal any prima facie offence against him.

In a roughly 1,500-page supplemental charge sheet presented in court on September 15, the police said Kundra was the “primary facilitator” in the pornographic investigation and that he and other accused abused young women suffering in the film business. The charging document also names Yash Thakur, a Singapore resident, and Pardeep Bakshi, a London resident, as wanted defendants.

The public prosecutor submitted an objection to Kundra’s request, saying that just because a charge sheet has been filed does not imply bail must be granted. Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Bhajipale granted Kundra bail after hearing both arguments.

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