The businessman was arrested on 19 July after being booked for transmitting sexually explicit content.
Our Correspondent
A Mumbai court has extended businessman Raj Kundra's police custody till 27 July in connection with a porn racket case.
The businessman, who was arrested on 19 July, has been booked under sections 292 and 293 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), 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.
The prosecution on Friday produced Kundra in front of the Esplanade magistrate court, demanding an extension of his custody for another week. However, the court only granted custody till 27 July.
According to the legal website BarandBench.com, the prosecution stated that when Google and Apple had sent notices to Kundra regarding content that violated obscenity standards, the businessman had taken down the Hotshot app. However, they added, he then created another app and started uploading content on it.
The website also quoted senior advocate Aabad Ponda, representing Kundra, as reiterating his stand that the custody of Kundra was being sought for offences that were bailable, with the exception of two charges.
The defence also argued that the non-bailable offences were under section 67A of the Information Technology Act and section 292 of the IPC, which refers to explicit sexual acts, which were not yet proven.
BREAKING: Businessman and husband of Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty, Raj Kundra has moved the Bombay High Court assailing the allegedly illegal remand and custody and all subsequent orders passed by the Mumbai Magistrate Court. #RajKundraArrest #BombayHighCourt pic.twitter.com/XsBwJnU4bN
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) July 23, 2021
As a result, Kundra has now moved the Bombay high court. In his petition, he has maintained the illegality of the arrest due to non-compliance of procedure in a pandemic situation.
Meanwhile, Shetty, who had maintained a studied silence on the case so far, shared an Instagram story that read, "I take a deep breath, knowing that I’m lucky to be alive. I have survived challenges in the past and will survive challenges in the future. Nothing need distract me from living my life today."
