Porn films case: HC rejects pleas filed by Raj Kundra, aide, challenging their arrest, remand

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Saturday rejected the pleas filed by businessman Raj Kundra and his associate Ryan Thorpe challenging their arrest and subsequent remand orders against them in a case of alleged production and streaming of pornographic content on apps.

A single bench presided over by Justice A S Gadkari rejected their applications, saying that the duo’s remand by a magistrate to police custody and the subsequent judicial custody was within the conformity of law and did not require interference.

In their petitions, Kundra, husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, and Thorpe had termed their arrest as illegal as the mandatory provision of issuing notice under section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) was not followed.

The duo, in their plea, sought the high court to order for their immediate release and quash two orders passed by a magistrate after their arrest remanding them in police custody. While Kundra was arrested on July 19, Thorpe, who was employed as the IT head in Kundra’s firm, was arrested on July 20. They are currently in judicial custody.