Raj Kundra walked out of the Arthur Road prison shortly after 11:30 am, a prison officer said.
Today Shilpa Shetty's husband and businessman Raj Kundra was released from a Mumbai prison, a day after the court granted bail to the main defendant in a pornographic film case in which he was arrested 2 months ago.
Finally, Raj Kundra walked out of the Arthur Road prison shortly after 11:30 am, a prison officer said. On Monday, the Metropolitan Chief Magistrate SB Bhajipale granted Raj Kundra bail with a bond of Rs 50,000. Raj Kundra's close aide and another main accused in the case, Ryan Thorpe was also granted bail by the court in the alleged making of pornographic films and their publication through some applications. The 46-year-old businessman was remanded in custody at Arthur Road Jail in central Mumbai.
Mr Kundra was arrested by the Mumbai Police's crime branch after being booked under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Information Technology (IT) Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act. On Saturday, Mr. Kundra filed a bail plea before the metropolitan magistrate court, days after police filed additional charge sheet in the case.
In the plea filed by Attorney Prashant Patil, Mr. Kundra stated that to date there has been no evidence in the prosecution that would link the "Hotshots" application used to allegedly trade in pornographic films, was a legal offence. Apparently, investigating authorities stated that the defendants used the “Hotshots” app to upload and stream obscene content.
The businessman stated that there was no evidence that he was "actively" involved in the creation of allegedly questionable pornographic content. Raj Kundra claimed he was falsely involved, was not even named in the FIR and was dragged into the case by the defendant (police).
Raj Kundra stated that he had been made a "scapegoat" for reasons better known to the investigators. According to the plea filed in the court, there is not a single allegation in the entire supplementary charge sheet. In this case, contents of the complaint do not reveal any apparent wrongdoing against Raj Kundra, he said. The prosecutor disagreed with Raj Kundra's request, saying that just because the charge sheet was filed does not mean that the defendant will be given bail. After hearing from both parties, Bhajipale accepted Mr. Kundra's bail request for a bond of 50,000 rupees.
Police stated in their charge sheet that Raj Kundra was the "main mediator" in the case and that he, along with other defendant, exploited young women struggling in the film industry by filming them obscenely. The nearly 1,500 page charge sheet against Raj Kundra and Ryan Thorpe was filed in the court by the crime branch on September 15.
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