Mumbai, Jan 25 (UNI): A Mumbai court has discharged Shilpa Shetty in a 2007 public display of affection case, the order said on Tuesday.
The petition was related to an incident where American actor Richard Gere kissed the actress on stage during a charity event.
While passing the verdict, Metropolitan Magistrate Ketaki M Chavan remarked Shilpa “instead fell victim to Gere’s act”. Nearly 15 years after Shilpa landed in the obscenity case after Hollywood star Gere kissed her publicly on her cheeks, the actress was given relief by the Mumbai court last week.
The detailed order was released on Monday. In 2007, Gere and Shetty came together for an AIDS awareness programme in Rajasthan. On the stage, Gere kissed the actress on her cheeks, causing a stir across the nation.
“It seems that the accused Shilpa Shetty is victim of the alleged act of accused no. 1 (Richard Gere). Not a single element of any of the alleged offences is being satisfied in the complaint,” the court said in the order.
The kissing incident had evoked strong protests across cities. Cases were registered against both Gere and Shilpa under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Information Technology Act for obscenity.
