Bollywood actress Shilpa Shrike has been cleared from obscenity accusations she was facing 14 years ago after Richard Gere started to kiss her at an AIDs awareness meeting.
She was 46 years old and had been accused by Mr Gere of making advances on her during his 2007 benefit show in India.
The same year as Ms Shetty’s appearance on Celebrity Big Brother in 2012, the incident caused outrage. During riots, effigies of both the couple were burnt in the streets.
Ms Shetty was also the subject of three court proceedings. However, all allegations have been dropped after a judge declared that she was Mr Gere’s ‘victim.
Shilpa shetty was cleared from causing ‘obscenity” for refusing to kiss Richard Gere at a 2007 AIDs benefit concert that sparked riots across India.
Magistrate Ketki Chavan, sitting at Mumbai supreme court, ruled on Monday: ‘It seems that the accused Shilpa Shetty is the victim of the alleged act.
“Not a single element has been fulfilled in the complaint.
Judge ruled that Ms Shetty, pictured in last year’s photo, was the victim of unwelcome attention from Mr Gere
Ms Shetty didn’t comment on the dismissal and instead shared an Instagram post about happiness.
You can make your life happy. Don’t wait for another person, or the weekend, or a special occasion to bring you joy and happiness,’ the post said.
Do whatever makes you feel happy. It will bring you joy in your mind, body and heart.
When the famous kiss occurred, Ms Shetty was working with Mr Gere to raise awareness about AIDS in Rajasthan.
The photos show the American actor taking Ms Shetty’s hand, kissing it and then hugging and kissing her on both cheeks.
Later, he said that the spontaneous act was meant to prove that kissing is not harmful and cannot spread the virus.
The incident caused protests in India among religious conservatives.
Some of these protests escalated to riots. Effigies of both the actors were set on fire and criminal charges against each of them were filed.
The protests were organized by Religious Conservatives, who accused the couple of spreading obscenity via the kiss. These allegations were dismissed by Ms Shetty at the time.
He apologised while Ms Shetty put the blame on India’s lunatic fringe’, and stated that it was a ridiculous incident.
The charges against Mr Gere were dropped quickly, allowing him to travel to India to meet the Dalai Lama. However, the charges against Ms Shetty remained unresolved in India’s courts.
Her lawyers applied for the transfer of her case from Rajasthan to Mumbai in 2017. A magistrate eventually gave a ruling on Monday.
She is most famous outside India because of her appearance in Celebrity Big Brother 2007, a British reality TV series.
After she had been subject to racism bullying from other contestants, the scandal swept over the series.
After Raj Kundra, her husband was detained last year for pornography offences, she has been featured in the media.