Richard Gere Kiss Case: Mumbai Court Upholds Shilpa Shetty’s Discharge

Mumbai: A sessions court in Mumbai on Monday dismissed a petition filed against a magistrate’s order discharging Shilpa Shetty in the 2007 obscenity case over Hollywood star Richard Gere kissing her at a public event.

The kissing incident had occurred during an AIDS awareness programme held in Rajasthan. Some persons and organizations termed it obscene and against the Indian culture.

A case was registered in Rajasthan against Gere and Shetty under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology Act. In 2017 the Supreme Court transferred the case to Mumbai.

In January 2022, a magistrate’s court in Mumbai discharged Shetty after observing that she seemed to be the victim of Gere’s act. But the prosecution filed a revision petition before the sessions court against the magistrate’s decision. Now the sessions court has dismissed this review petition.