Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty has been acquitted by an Indian court on charges of “indecent exposure”.

In 2007, American actor Richard Gia kissed Shetty on stage during an AIDS awareness campaign.

Richard had said that he kissed Shilpa Shetty to show that kissing does not cause AIDS. He later said he was sorry about the incident.

Hindu extremists staged protests after the incident, calling it an insult to Indian ethics. Kissing in public is considered forbidden by some Indians.

Following the incident, Indian police issued an arrest warrant against the American actor, which was dismissed by the Supreme Court.

 The Supreme Court said the case was filed in the hope of a “cheap publicity stunt”.