Arrest warrant for Gere over 'vulgar' kisses
Richard Gere has often visited India in the past
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Thursday, 26, Apr 2007 05:31
Richard Gere is the subject of an arrest warrant in India over his public kiss with Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty.
The Hollywood actor and Celebrity Big Brother winner have both had warrants issued against them by a court in Jaipur, Indian news agency PTI reports.
The pair shared a kiss during an Aids awareness programme earlier this month, sparking mass protests in a country where open shows of affection are frowned upon.
According to PTI, additional chief judicial magistrate, Jaipur city, Dinesh Gupta filed the warrants after a complaint by a city resident.
The judge said the kisses "transgressed all limits of vulgarity" and were "highly sexually erotic".
But a spokesperson for Shetty, who was also the subject of race controversy during her time in the British Big Brother house, said the actress had not yet been summoned to court.
"The summons has not come so far and once it comes, we will take appropriate steps," Dale Dhagwagar told PTI.
Gere and Shetty were gathered in New Delhi at the awareness meeting last week when the American actor exclaimed to the Indian truckers present: "No condom, no sex."
The crowd then cheered as Gere held Shetty in his arms and kissed her a number of times on her hand and the side of her face.
Protesters burned effigies of Gere on the streets of Kanpur, Meerut and Varanasi while shouting "down with Gere".