Businessman Raj Kundra, the husband of actress Shilpa Shetty, has been remanded in police custody till 23 July by a Mumbai court in connection with a pornography racket case. He was arrested in Mumbai by the crime branch late on 19 July.
#UPDATE | Mumbai: Actress Shilpa Shetty's husband & businessman Raj Kundra and one Ryan Tharp sent to Police Custody till 23rd July.
— ANI (@ANI) July 20, 2021
Kundra has been booked under sections 292 and 293 of the Indian Penal Code, which deal with the sale of obscene material; sections 67 and 67A of the Information Technology Act, which are concerning the transmission of sexually explicit material; and provisions of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
One Ryan Tharp was also arrested in the case early on Tuesday and brought to the magistrate's court in South Mumbai.
Actress Shilpa Shetty's husband & businessman Raj Kundra and one Ryan Tharp brought to Mumbai's Esplanade Court.
— ANI (@ANI) July 20, 2021
Kundra was arrested yesterday while Tharp was arrested today in connection with a case relating to the production of pornographic films. pic.twitter.com/NCpbVeKhJH
According to the legal website BarandBench.com, the prosecution argued that Kundra was making profits from pornographic films made by his company and that the police's preliminary investigation had revealed a large amount of foreign currency in his bank account. It was this revelation, in addition to content found on his mobile phone and statements by the co-accused, that spurred the police into requesting maximum custody.
Appearing in his defence, advocate Aabad Ponda stated that the seeking of custody was illegal as only two of Kundra's named offences were non-bailable. The defence also asked why summons could not be issued under section 41 of the Code of Criminal Procedure to interrogate him before arresting him.