Apex court to hear Gere plea on Friday

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to take up Hollywood actor Richard Gere’s plea, seeking stay on his arrest...

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to take up Hollywood actor Richard Gere’s plea, seeking stay on his arrest warrant in connection with a kissing row involving actress Shilpa Shetty, for hearing on Friday.

Allowing an urgent hearing into the matter, a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan allowed the request of senior advocate Indira Jaisinh, who appeared for the actor. Jaisinh argued that the arrest warrant might come in the way of his scheduled meeting with the Dalai Lama. The actor is supposed to meet the Tibetan spiritual leader on March 21, the Bench was told.

Earlier on February 11, the apex court had issued a notice to complainant Poonam Chandra Bhandari, a Jaipur resident on whose plea a court there had issued the arrest warrant against Gere.

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The court also asked the Rajasthan Government to furnish its reply as the advocate again submitted that the actor was ready to submit to the court’s jurisdiction in India. The Hollywood actor in his application said he was being harassed and victimised by way of private criminal complaints filed against him in Jaipur and Mundawar in Rajasthan, which were nothing but bids to attract media attention.

The advocate appearing for Bhandari in the previous hearing had questioned the plea raised by Gere contending that he had filed his application on the pending petition of Shetty in which he was a respondent.