Bollywood star cleared of obscenity over 2007 Richard Gere kiss | Bollywood News

Actress Shilpa Shetty is formally cleared of obscenity prices after the Hollywood star kissed her at an AIDS consciousness occasion.

Indian actress Shilpa Shetty has been formally cleared of obscenity prices courting from when Hollywood star Richard Gere publicly kissed her on the cheek at an AIDS consciousness occasion 15 years in the past.

The incident triggered an area firestorm on the time, with Hindu right-wing teams burning effigies of each the celebrities to protest the perceived insult to Indian values.

A choose quickly afterwards issued arrest warrants, with each accused of assorted counts of obscenity and indecency.

The costs in opposition to Gere had been rapidly shelved, permitting the actor – one of many world’s best-known Buddhists – to return to India in 2010 for a gathering with Tibetan religious chief the Dalai Lama.

However the case in opposition to Shetty languished in India’s slow-moving authorized system for greater than a decade till it was lastly discharged in Mumbai final week.

In a courtroom order made public on Tuesday, a choose stated the costs in opposition to the actress had been “groundless” and that she had been topic to an undesirable amorous advance from the Hollywood A-lister.

“Evidently… Shilpa Shetty is the sufferer of alleged act of accused No. 1 (Richard Gere),” the order stated.

Footage of the 2007 incident exhibits Gere kissing Shetty on the hand, earlier than tightly hugging her and planting repeated kisses on her cheek, whereas each had been onstage.

Shetty’s lawyer stated the whole case rested on the truth that “she didn’t protest when she was kissed by the co-accused”.

“This by no stretch of creativeness makes her a conspirator or perpetrator of any crime,” the lawyer added.

Shetty, 46, has not but issued a public assertion in response to the courtroom order.

In 2007, she had defended Gere’s actions and blamed India’s “lunatic fringe” for the uproar.

Gere later apologised for his exuberant show, apparently an try and display that kissing was a secure exercise that didn’t unfold AIDS.

Shetty is maybe greatest recognized exterior of India for her look on British actuality TV present Celeb Huge Brother in 2007.

The collection was engulfed by scandal after Shetty was allegedly subjected to racist bullying by different contestants.