On August 10, Mumbai Police opposed the bail plea of actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra’s husband, Raj Kundra, stating that he is a flight risk and may leave the country to escape trial. Raj Kundra, a British citizen, was arrested in July for allegedly creating pornographic content and distributing it via paid apps. Police added that granting him bail would give a wrong message to society.
Kundra is currently in judicial custody. In his bail plea, it was stated that a charge sheet was filed in the month of April in which his name did not appear. It added that there is no FIR against him in the case and the accused who were named in the charge sheet are currently out on bail. It stated, “The entire order is based on conjectures and surmises and deserves to be set aside. The magistrate failed to appreciate that there is no material against the applicant to even show his alleged involvement in the alleged offence.”
‘Victims may not come forward if he is out on bail’
In reply to the bail plea, the Mumbai Police said that the crimes of Raj Kundra are of serious nature, and the investigation is still underway to find out all the apps where the videos were uploaded. The Police further told the Court that if the accused gets bail, there is a possibility he would commit similar crimes by uploading obscene videos. Granting him bail would send a wrong message to society and would impact the culture.
The police also mentioned that Kundra is a relative of Pradeep Bakshi, who is currently absconding. There is a possibility that he might get in touch with Bakshi and help him evade the probe. Police said that as the victims in the case belong to poor financial backgrounds, they might not come forward with evidence if the accused is out on bail.
Police argued that the possibility that Kundra may try to destroy evidence while being out on bail could not be ignored. They informed the Court that after search and seizure at the office of Kundra, he refused to sign the panchnama. He also refused to accept the notice issued to him under Section 41A(1) of the CrPC. Police claimed that he was non-responsive during interrogation. The Police further alleged that Kundra tried to delete data from his mobile that implies he was not interested in cooperating in the investigation.
Police added that Kundra is a British citizen, and he may flee the country in case bail is granted. There is no denying to the possibility that the videos are being uploaded from outside India as Kundra is well connected to the film industry.
The court rejected anticipatory bail plea in 2020 case
The Court adjourned the matter and set August 20 as the next date of hearing. Meanwhile, a sessions court also rejected an anticipatory bail plea of Kundra in connection to a case registered by the Mumbai Police in 2020 related to pornographic content.
Mehul Choksi and Nirav Modi fled country to escape trial
Notably, criminals with good financial back have a habit of fleeing the country to escape trial. It was seen in the cases of Nirav Modi and Mehul Choksi who fled the country after the PNB scam came to light. Similarly, Vijay Mallya also fled the country to escape the trial in the case of financial fraud against him.
