Hindi actor Sherlyn Chopra was granted protection from arrest by the Supreme Court on Friday in the 2020 porn film case.
The other accused in the case include Raj Kundra, the husband of actor Shilpa Shetty, and model-actor Poonam Pandey.
Earlier, in January, the Supreme Court had granted interim protection to Pandey in this case. Chopra’s counsel subsequently submitted a petition before the apex court seeking similar relief.
Following a hearing on Friday, the court issued a notice to the prosecution and directed that no coercive action be taken against Chopra.
The case dates back to October 2020, when the Cyber Cell registered an FIR based on a complaint by Madhukar Krishan Keni, a 67-year-old retired Customs and Central Excise officer, about the broadcasting of nude, erotic content on an OTT platform. The complaint also alleged that Chopra has featured in these video clips.
The FIR was lodged under section 292 (sale of obscene material) of the Indian Penal Code, sections 67 and 67A (transmission of sexually explicit material) of the IT Act, and provisions of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act.
On November 6, 2020, over 20 people were booked by the Nodal Cyber Police, Mumbai.
In August 2021, the Bombay High Court had granted Kundra interim protection from arrest in this case, while he was in jail for a similar charge of pornography, which has been under investigation since February 2021. This protection was later extended.
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However, later in November, the Bombay High Court had denied anticipatory bail to six of the accused in the 2020 pornography case, including Pandey, Kundra and Chopra. But, the HC granted them four weeks to approach the Supreme Court.
In December, the Supreme Court granted four-week protection from arrest in this case to Kundra, who is currently out on bail in the ongoing 2021 porn film case.
This was followed by Pandey’s successful petition for the same, and now Chopra’s.
Meanwhile, Chopra has also been involved in the 2021 porn film case. She claimed to be the first to give a statement to the Maharashtra Cyber Cell in March and was later summoned by the Property Cell of the Mumbai Crime Branch in August for questioning in connection to the case.