Mumbai: No anticipatory bail for Raj Kundra in another case filed by Maharashtra cyber police in Nov

Last year, the Maharashtra cyber police had booked the director or owners of various OTT platforms and websites for allegedly showing obscene content.

In a setback for businessman Raj Kundra, the sessions court on Tuesday rejected his anticipatory bail application (ABA) in a case registered by Maharashtra cyber police in November last year for allegedly showing obscene content on some over-the-top (OTT) platforms.

Raj Kundra (Yogen Shah)

Kundra’s counsel Sunil Kumar Sharma and Vinayak Tare argued on Tuesday that as there was already a case registered against him for showing obscene content on his Hotshots app, he can’t be arrested for a similar offence again. The court, however, rejected his ABA.

Public prosecutor Shankar Erande, who appeared for the Maharashtra cyber police, strongly objected to the ABA.

Last year, the Maharashtra cyber police had booked the director or owners of various OTT platforms and websites for allegedly showing obscene content. The FIR was registered by a retired customs officer who had named several OTT platforms in his complaint. Actress Sherlyn Chopra had also recorded her statement in the matter.

In a separate case relating to Kundra’s bail plea in a crime branch case, in which he is currently in judicial custody, the hearing will be held on August 20. The police on Tuesday submitted their application opposing Kundra’s bail on various grounds, including threatening complainants. The police said they had seized 72 hard disks, three SAN boxes and eight servers from Kundra’s office and found that till now Hotshots had showed around 51 obscene videos. The court is likely to hear the arguments on the next date.