The Hindu : Front Page : Warrant against Gere stayed

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Saturday, Mar 15, 2008
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Warrant against Gere stayed

J. Venkatesan

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday stayed the execution of the arrest warrant issued by a court in Rajasthan against Richard Gere, AIDS campaigner and head of the Gere Foundation in connection with the ‘April 15, 2007 kissing incident’ involving film actor Shilpa Shetty.

A Bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice R.V. Raveendran also stayed an order passed by another court in Rajasthan that if Mr. Gere visited India, he should not leave the country.

The Bench passed the order on an application filed by Mr. Gere.

The apex court had stayed all proceedings in these cases on a petition filed by Ms. Shetty seeking their transfer to Mumbai. The Chief Justice said: “We are of the view that this complaint is not maintainable. The magistrate has no business to give an arrest warrant.”

“Publicity hunting”

Justice Raveendran told counsel for the complainant: “It is publicity hunting. How can you give Mr. Gere’s address as American Embassy? By filing such cases and getting warrants you are bringing a bad name to the country.”

The Chief Justice asked counsel for the complainant: “Will you file applications wherever somebody embraces somebody? Is he [magistrate] the Immigration Officer to pass such an order?”

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