Mumbai Police fears Kundra may take Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi route, opposes bail plea

Police opposed Raj Kundra’s bail request on Tuesday, saying it would send the wrong message to society. Kundra was detained last month for allegedly creating and streaming pornographic content using applications. Police also told the court that if he was freed on bond, he may repeat the act again or even try to flee the country.

Kundra, who is being held in judicial custody, stated in his bail application that the police had filed a charge sheet in April and his name did not appear on it or in the linked FIR. The charge sheet’s listed defendants are out on bail and the magistrate’s court ‘erred’ in rejecting his bail earlier.

‘The entire order is based on conjectures and surmises and deserves to be set aside. The magistrate failed to appreciate that there is no material against the applicant to even show his alleged involvement in the alleged offence,’ Kundra’s plea added.

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In response, police stated on Tuesday that the crime was of a ‘severe nature’ and they were still investigating where all of the recordings were published. If given bail, the accused would continue to conduct similar crimes by posting obscene recordings, which will have an influence on our culture and convey the incorrect message to society.

Kundra is also a relative of absconding suspect Pradeep Bakshi and is likely to speak with him and assist him in evading the investigation, the police added.

According to the police, Kundra, as a British citizen, may potentially flee if given bail. As he is connected to the film industry, the authorities believe it is impossible to rule out the potential of the videos being uploaded outside of India. The victims, in this case, are women from low-income families and if the accused is released on bond, they may not come forward with crucial evidence.

The court set a hearing date for the case on August 20. In another development, Kundra’s anticipatory release request in a case filed by Mumbai police last year involving porn content was denied by a sessions court here on Tuesday.