TV actress Gehana Vasisth gets bail

Mumbai: The sessions court at Dindoshi, Goregaon East, in suburban Mumbai has finally allowed TV actress Gehana Vasisth, aka Vandana R. Tiwari, to walk free, granting her bail after almost five months, her publicist Flynn Remedios said.

“Finally, after a long wait of nearly five months, Gehana Vasisth will walk free. The bail matter was held up due to the lockdown declared in Maharashtra, the courts were almost non-functional and it was impossible to get the matter on board for hearing even in the Bombay High Court. Then, from May till the first week of June, the courts were on vacation and the holiday courts were reluctant to oblige her bail application. It was left to the regular Court of Sessions to hear the bail application, which was finally disposed off on Friday,” Remedios said.

Initially, her bail application was rejected by the same Dindoshi sessions court as the chargesheet was not filed. Gehana was granted bail in the other cases earlier in April itself, but the last matter pertaining to the Malwani Police Station was delayed due to the lockdown induced restrictions and the court vacation.

Gehana has to complete the bail formalities and furnish sureties before the court to secure her release. It may be recalled that Gehana was arrested on 6 February by the Mumbai police Crime Branch in a pornography related matter. Eight others were also arrested along with her.

While granting bail, the Dindoshi sessions court has ordered that Gehana cannot leave the country without the permission of the court. While at the Byculla jail, Gehana was infected with Covid-19 and was kept in a jail quarantine centre. She also suffered a stroke and was admitted to the J.J. hospital by the prison authorities.

Other celebrities like Sherlyn Chopra, Poonam Pandey, etc., were also questioned by the police in the matter. Sherlyn Chopra managed to obtain an anticipatory bail from the Bombay High Court and celebrity businessman Raj Kundra—husband of Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty—was also summoned by the Crime Branch and the Maharashtra Police Cyber cell and their statements were recorded. The matter will now continue in the courts, after almost all the accused have been let off on bail.