The KISS: Court issues arrest warrant on Gere

Jaipur, Apr 26: A local court today issued an arrest warrant for Hollywood actor Richard Gere and a summons for Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty for the kissing controversy during an AIDS awareness function in New Delhi.

Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate number four Dinesh Gupta also asked 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 repeatedly telecast the kiss, causing further annoyance.

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

UNI