Mumbai: The arrest of Bollywood actor and yoga enthusiast Shilpa Shetty’s husband and businessman Raj Kundra has opened doors to a whole new world of movies, allowing the police to dig deeper into connections to the adult film racket in the Bollywood industry. Kundra was arrested on Monday by the Mumbai Police for creating and publishing pornographic content on an app called ‘Hotshots’. Raj Kundra and his associates were busted after the Mumbai Police received complaints from several women of being lured “on the pretext of breaks in web series” by performing “bold scenes” in nude or semi-nude movies
The app is developed by Arms Prime Pvt Ltd, previously owned by a UK firm allegedly belonging to Raj Kundra’s brother-in-law, which made the adult content available on OTT platforms. However, pornography is banned in India and as a result, producing such movies is also against the law
Raj Kundra was booked under Indian Penal Code Sections 420 (cheating), 34 (common intention), 292, and 293 (related to obscene and indecent advertisements and displays), and relevant sections of the IT Act and the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
Here’s What The Laws Mean:
Section 292: According to this law, anything shall be deemed to be obscene “if it is lascivious or appeals to the prurient interest or if its effect (is) such as to tend to deprave and corrupt person”
Section 293: This law states punishment for any person who “sells, lets to hire, distributes, exhibits or circulates to any person under the age of twenty years any such obscene object as is referred to in the last preceding section, or offers or attempts so to do”.
Section 67 of IT Act: While Raj Kundra has been arrested under several sections of the Information Technology (IT) Act, Section 67 is the most crucial one. It seeks punishment for anyone who “publishes or transmits or causes to be published or transmitted in the electronic form” any obscene material.
Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act: This Act prohibits indecent representation of women through advertisements or in publications, writings, paintings, figures or in any other manner and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.
What is Raj Kundra’s role in the Adult Film racket?
Raj Kundra’s arrest goes back to a case dated February 4, in which the Mumbai Police arrested five artistes for allegedly forcing women to act in porn movies, which were uploaded on apps like ‘Hotshots’. The shooting of these movies took place at a rented bungalow in the outskirts of Mumbai, the police said. During lockdown, these apps gained immense popularity, some having subscribers in lakhs.
Raj Kundra’s role came to light after the arrest of the producers. The police found a Kundra’s connection with the UK production house’s executive Umesk Kamat that eventually landed him in trouble.
He has also applied for anticipatory bail last month in connection with the case filed by Mumbai Cyber Police last year. The court is expected to decide on the bail application next week. Meanwhile, the police have evaded any role of Shilpa Shetty in the case so far
