Businessman Raj Kundra received interim protection
from arrest in a porn racket case registered against him by the Cyber Crime
Cell of Mumbai Police in 2020.  A single
bench of the Bombay High Court also directed the police to respond by August 25
to Kundra’s pre-arrest bail plea, news agency PTI reported. Kundra, the husband
of actor Shilpa Shetty, is in jail after he was arrested in July in
another case related to production and distribution of pornographic material on
mobile apps.

Earlier, a sessions court rejected his application
seeking pre-arrest bail. Kundra, who had moved the high court last week in
connection with the 2020 case, sought bail on parity on grounds that another
accused in the case had been given similar relief.

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The prosecution opposed the plea in the high court on
Wednesday, arguing Kundra’s role in the case was different from the other
accused. 

Justice SK Shinde granted Additional Public Prosecutor
Prajakta Shinde time to take more instructions on the application and directed
for an interim order protecting Raj Kundra from arrest till the next hearing.

This was after Kundra’s counsel argued he has been
cooperating with the police by submitting necessary documents and recording his
statement during the investigation, Free Press Journal reported.

Kundra has accused the Cyber Cell of falsely
implicating him in the case and said he is not connected with any of the OTT
platforms or companies named in the FIR.

“However, the Respondent (State government) is making
an attempt to connect the applicant (Kundra) with the crime, it is necessary to
mention that, one of the App ‘Hotshots’ App till date has nothing to do with
pornography,” Kundra has said in his plea.

Kundra is in judicial custody after Crime Branch of
Mumbai Police arrested him on July 19 and filed a chargesheet against him.

He has claimed similarities in the chargesheet
and FIR filed against him in the 2021 and 2020 cases.