Kissing Row: Richard Gere approaches SC for relief

What a load of rubbish. The people who lodged the complaint in the first place, should be put in prison for wasting court'stime. Come on miserable Sena type people it is show time. Actors and actresses do a lot of things to for a show. The kiss was part of an act. There was nothing immoral so please the miserable souls just shut up and do something constructive for a change.

Is this really a moral issue ? The personal space of Ms. Shetty appears to have been violated and Mr. Gere is the accused. Is n’t it the same in the ‘groping’ incidents all over the country including that in Mumbai and Kolkata ? So, is it not a question of fact and law for the courts to determine ? Should Mr. Gere get a better treatment at the law just because he is an American, famous and does lot of charity work in India or just because the ‘victim’ did not make a formal complaint ? If that were to accepted, then the ‘powerful’ will get away with molesting all the time. Where are the feminists ? The case is very simple. Ms. Shetty was verbally abused in London and it was called racist. Now she was physically abused. How can it be different this time ? Most of the decent ‘night clubs’ in the west have explicit ‘code’ stating, ‘touching another is unwelcome’ unless invited. If Mr. Gere grabbed another, dipped her and planted kisses passionately in a night club, he will at least be ejected or could even be looking at serving time for assault.

It is ridiculous that people who try and help the downtrodden in our country, people who help bring about awareness and especially those who embrace our culture should be so badly treated. There is no reason why Gere's case should not be heard speedily. Also, why single him out, what was done about the MMS sent by Manisha Koirala's brother, why wasn't anybody up in arms when Shahid Kapoor

These moral soldiers should be sent to KALA PANI (PILA PESH**B) if there are nomore Gulags, in Siberia.

A country where woman are being molested and raped in big cities and small towns alike, at an alarming rate, it is ironical that someone like Richard Gere who has done more to spread the name of India outside of India is being harassed. Did the police after all find the rapist of the Sweedish diplomat in Delhi from a few years past, have the killers and molesters of woman in Gujrat during the riots been brought to justice fully.? Are we in a position to act saintly and hold our tradition and custom on a pedestal when actions of our own citizens towards woman ring hollow?

Sir,Mr. Gary Richard, approach to the SC appreciable.But keeping in mind that without knowing the custom and culture of a country a tourist should not behave like a romantic romeo. I think it is an Unpardonable. On the other hand when a lady stood on a dias without any reharsal should think too about the culture and society. Shilpa too held responsible before excuse Gary.

In a country of well over the billion mark, and growing by the hour, if morality was the issue it has to start with self respect and social morality. What Gere did to Shetty, both did not have a problem with it, yet some strange conservative mind comes forward to protect Shilpa from what seems only natural in western countries as a social behaviour. There are countries where if one did not kiss the other on the cheek, it is thought to be disrespectful... namely Italy and France, if not more European countries.I find that this issue is blown totally out of proportion, as Gere is a very respectable person, and his visit to India was of a charitable cause. The conservatism of the limited few in India loves the foreign currencies, fashion, and sending their offspring to these distant overseas countries, yet when their culture corsses there eyes, there seems to be a very different and hypocritical display - like covering your eyes with cracks in you fingures to show that they don't approve, and yet watch to self satisfy themselves.I suggest that these conservative people to stay in their villages, and not participate in the new world of internet, globalization and melting pot metropolises of the new India.

What a load of rubbish!! I am surprised that none of these so called "moral police" jokers are nowhere to be seen when a mob strips a woman naked and parades then through the street. We need to really understand that we are becoming more open as a society and this is nothing worse than what we can see in any university campus or park. I think the best judgement in this case will be for the judge to throw out the case and penalise the plaintiff for wasting the nonorable courts time with such frivolus lawsuits

We should learn that we should not be open society. Openness and relaxed attitude towards men-women mixing and exchanging love is a tradition of Hinduism which must be discarded for our secular fabric. We should live and behave like Muslims if we are secular.

It is after all a stage-managed show by Shilpa shetty in which Gere is JUST on of the actor, the main actor and as well the director in unquestionably, the MEDIA-SEEKING shilpa...It is a pity that this case is being heard in SC, any way our judges have to do some job, and this one being a glamorous job!!!BTW, we, those who write about this are other actors like Gere...

It may be entirely upto Ms. Shetty to make a complaint unless the law enforcement agencies suo moto take cognizance of a crime, however, irrespective of the motivations of the people, whether they are seen as deprived of the pleasures they are complaining about (as being insinuated by many), the question one needs to ask are: 1. Will Mr. Gere get away with what he did to a white Anglo-Saxon actress in the US or anywhere else; 2. Is it due to fear of unnecessary nuisance, racial submission or real acquiescence that Ms. Shetty not complaining ?

I am sure the current obscenity laws (which are causing the courts to issues these worth-less judgments) were written a hundred years ago by the British. It's time to rewrite those laws to stop such cases and judgements. I have a crazy theory (which I think is true). India is still a deeply conservative ("secksually") society, combined with many jobless people who take deep offense at anything that they are denied. For example, in this case, these so called moral police are angry because it is Richard Gere who got to kis-s Shilpa Shetty on the stage, not them. They secretly wish it were them who could kis-s her. Since they know they would not be able to do it, they express their frustration by turning it into a big moral issue and make a lot of noise. It's the same case with the hooligans who protest valentine's day. They all want a girl friend. Since they don't have one and don't have the prospects of getting one, their jealousy comes out in the form of moral outrage, denouncement of western influences, etc. The phenomanon of moral policing is just another manifestation of the repressed "secksuality" of Indian society.

If there are people puished for it even Gere and Shetty too should be punished - they should not be spared because they are Actors. Infact there need to be an additional charge on Gere for molestation too

Thats true.

If one thing that embarrases me about India is the presence of moral brigade. The spat between India and Australia should have been left to media. The kissing by Richard Gere should have been left to Shilpa Shetty. What Sania mirza should wear during play in not to be decided by the mullas. Where are these people when politicians comit crimes. Why dont they fight when the govt. officer amass fortune by selling the jobs. And why these same people throng to some movies 'to see these actresses'. If they want to fight against the corruption, lack of infrastructure, political interference I shall support them. Apart from these three, If they want to be fourth pillar of hypocracy and incompetence, then not in my name and not even in name of my country.