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Shilpa Shetty

Richard Gere seeks stay of arrest
12th Feb 2008 09.00 IST
By Agencies

Hollywood actor and anti-AIDS campaigner Richard Gere seeking stay of his arrest warrant in connection with the kissing row with actress Shilpa Shetty Monday told the Supreme Court that he was willing to submit to the jurisdiction of the concerned courts in the country.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan issued notice to the complainant on whose plea a Jaipur court had issued arrest warrant to Gere.

The court also sought a response from the Rajasthan Government after senior advocate Indira Jaisinh, appearing for Gere, said the actor, who is schedule to come to India in March, was ready to submit to the court's jurisdiction.

She said the warrant was issued after the actor had left the country. The Jaipur court had restrained him from leaving the country.

However, during the hearing, advocate Anupam Lal Das, appearing for the complainant Poonam Chandra Bhandari, alleged that there was a conspiracy by the actor to secure an ex-parte order.

He said Gere in his application has named the father of the complainant as respondent who was dead.

"How can title of the matter be changed. Instead of complainant, her father who is dead has been made a party so that order could be passed ex-parte," he alleged and submitted that an inquiry be ordered.

However, the counsel appearing for Gere said it was only a bonafide error, which will be amended.

Das, who accepted the notice on behalf of Bhandari, also questioned the relief sought by Gere contending that he had filed his application on the pending petition of Shetty in which he was a respondent.

"Gere has not filed an independent petition and therefore he cannot seek interim order on the petition filed by co-accused (Shilpa)," he said.

The apex court had already stayed the arrest warrant issued against Shilpa and had also issued notice on her plea to transfer the case to a Mumbai Court.

The Hollywood actor in his application said that he was being harassed and victimised by way of private criminal complaints filed against him in Jaipur and Mundawar in Rajasthan, which were nothing but bids to attract media attention.

The Jaipur court on April 26 last had issued arrest warrants to Gere and Shilpa after Bhandari filed a complaint accusing the couple of committing an "obscene act".

A similar case has been filed in a Ghaziabad court in Uttar Pradesh against Gere.

The Hollywood actor had allegedly taken Shilpa in his embrace and kissed her on the cheek repeatedly at an AIDS awareness programme.

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