Pornography case: Bail plea of Shilpa Shetty’s husband rejected

An Indian court on Wednesday rejected bail plea filed by Raj Kundra, the husband of Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, in a case related to producing pornographic films.

Mumbai police termed the 45-year-old as "the key conspirator" in the creation of adult movies and later publishing them on internet through different apps.

The arrest has embroiled Kundra in a new scandal, around six years after he came under fired over match-fixing charges.

On July 20, Kundra, a businessman by profession, has been arrested by police. The 45-year-old was taken by the Crime Branch after being booked under relevant sections of the IPC and the Information Technology Act, which appears to be the key conspirator of the case, a senior official said.

"There was a case registered with the Crime Branch Mumbai in Feb 2021 about the creation of pornographic films and publishing them through some Apps. We’ve arrested Mr Raj Kundra in this case on 19/7/21 as he appears to be the key conspirator of this. We have sufficient evidence regarding this," the Mumbai Police Commissioner said in a statement.

The case was registered on 4 February at the Malwani police station in Mumbai. An FIR was registered against him after a woman approached the police and made certain allegations in her complaint.

Raj was booked under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 34 (common intention), 292 and 293 (related to obscene and indecent advertisements and displays) besides relevant sections of the IT Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.

Earlier in 2013, he was questioned by the Delhi Police in connection with the betting and spot-fixing scandal that engulfed Indian cricket.

Moreover, Raj Kundra has denied any wrongdoing and sought anticipatory bail in the case.