Raj Kundra The Mumbai Police on Tuesday opposed before the sessions court the bail pleas of businessman Raj Kundra and co-accused Ryan Thorpe in the adult films case claiming that if released, they could commit similar offences again and impact the “social culture”. Both men have filed for bail before the sessions court after the metropolitan magistrate’s court last month rejected similar pleas.
In his bail application, Kundra has said that while there is no material to show his involvement in the case, there is also no obscenity in the evidence that the police claimed to have seized. The Mumbai Police has alleged that the videos seized during probe show that pornographic content, which was uploaded on Hotshots app, was linked to Kundra’s company.
Kundra has maintained that evidence in the case is documentary in nature and his extended custody is not required. He has claimed that he is a family man with deep roots in society and will cooperate with the probe.
The plea also stated that he has been thoroughly investigated while in police custody and since he faces a maximum punishment of seven years as per the charges invoked against him, he should be considered for bail. He further said that the accused arrested earlier in the case, against whom a chargesheet has been filed, have also been granted bail.
The police have opposed Kundra’s bail plea on the ground that he is an influential person and a British citizen and may leave the country if released.
The Mumbai Police, in its reply, has said that Kundra and Thorpe were arrested after it came to light that they were destroying evidence linked with the case. It added that since electronic evidence related to the case is still under probe, releasing the men on bail could hamper the probe.
While Kundra has said that there is no reasonable apprehension that he will tamper with evidence or witnesses, the police have said that the victims in the case are women from poor financial backgrounds and the release of the accused may impact the probe with an apprehension of danger to the lives of those linked to the case.
The court will hear arguments on the bail plea on August 20.
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