Arrest warrant against Gere in kissing row

Jaipur, Apr 26 (UNI) A lower court here today issued an arrest warrant against Hollywood actor Richard Gere and a summon against actress Shilpa Shetty for the kissing controversy during an AIDS awareness function.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate number four Dinesh Gupta also asked the Superintendent of Police, Jaipur City, to arrest Gere and produce him in the court during the next hearing on May 5.

The court also summoned Shilpa and sent a notice to the Mumbai Metropolitan Magistrate, asking that she be produced in the court here during the next hearing.

Petitioner and advocate Poonam Chand Bhandari was also asked to produce a list of witnesses.

Bhandari had filed a complaint on April 17 at SJM-4, stating that Gere's forced kiss on Shilpa in public, amounted to an obscene act, which caused anonyance to the viewers.

Saying that Shilpa did not even resist the act, Bhandari demanded that these two be fined or jailed under Section 294 of the Indian Penal Code. He also said the television channel had repeatedly telecast the kiss, causing further annoyance.

Gere had kissed Shilpa at an AIDS aqareness function in New Delhi, which caused a furore including protests at several places in the country.

UNI