Delhi schoolboy sparks global porn row

[emad]

Luke Harding and agencies in New Delhi
Tuesday December 21, 2004
The Guardian

To the Indian schoolboy, it must have seemed like an ingenious if indelicate use of new technology.

But when the 17-year-old used his mobile phone camera to record his girlfriend giving him oral sex he could have had little idea of the far-reaching global consequences.

By yesterday, his ungentlemanly act had provoked a scandal that was dominating every Indian newspaper, the chief executive of a major company had been jailed, and a major diplomatic row was brewing between India and America, with Condoleezza Rice reported to be at the fore.

The boy himself has been tracked down by police, faced court yesterday and has been expelled from his school.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/news/0,12597,1377968,00.html

[crispini]

1. Wow. That's impressive! n/t

[redqueen]

2. Crazy ass sex laws

"Though public transmission and sale of pornography is a crime, possession and viewing is not. Pornographic videos - often of dire quality - are available in most Indian cities, where there is a flourishing underground trade."

Do grown-ups really write these laws?

:crazy:

[Truman01]

4. She was underage and probably didn't consent to the video.

[redqueen]

5. Well yeah that's fine... makes sense...

however the paragraph I quoted contains the laws I thought were crazy.

sigh

[mongo]

9. That is the law in most states in America

In Ohio, you can own any video you want - except of course child porn.

But, it is illegal for me to sell it to you. Although I do it every day. I can be sentenced to up to 1 year in prison for the first offense for "pandering obsenity"

Of course, under federal law, I can be sentenced to 5 years in prison.

[redqueen]

10. Seriously?!

That is seven different kinds of stupid.

:eyes:

[mongo]

11. Yep.

Of course, they would have to prosecute and a jury would have to find me guilty. The county would be looking at spending about 10 grand to prosecute me (they have to get experts, etc.)

And they would look like fools to half of the people in the county.

I haven't been too worried, my landlord is the county judge's brother, but he just got voted out of office and a new conservative judge takes his place this August. It is not his job to decide to prosecute, but if he puts a bug in the prosecutors ear, it may happen.

At least my retainer to my attorney (the best 1st amendment law office in the country) has been paid.

In reality, for a first offense, I would most likely get probation and a huge fine I really can't afford to pay. It would likely drive me out of business.

The city tried to come after me for zoning when I first opened, but they didn't have a leg to stand on and they knew it. I took out some ads in the local paper, explaining my position and insinuating that they were being un-American, and they dropped it like a hot potato. But the city can't bring me up on felony obscenity charges, only the county.

[Florida_Geek]

3. This is crazy

I do not know what the Indian eBay is like, but to arrest the owner because of something put up for sell, is crazy, it was deleted once they knew about it.

[emad]

6. Did Condi want a copy?

More surprisingly, though, the scandal also appears to have provoked the interest of one of the world's most powerful women.

Ms Rice is understood to have telephoned the US ambassador in India, David Mulford, about the case.

The Bush administration's national security adviser and future secretary of state has let it be known she is furious at Mr Bajaj's humiliating treatment. He is, after all, a US citizen.

"The US embassy is following this case very closely. There is high-level interest in Washington regarding the case," an embassy statement issued over the weekend said.

[amazona]

7. he knew it was a ****ty thing to do

Hard to feel sorry for a boy photographing his 16 year old girlfriend on a freaking camera phone. Teen-age bragging about what should be private is obnoxious enough but taking pictures and then selling them? What a ****ty thing to do to your G/F. "Ungentlemanly" is the word for it, all right. Although I realize the reaction is overblown, some people just don't win my sympathy.

[redqueen]

8. I don't think anyone thinks the boy shouldn't be punished

the row is over whether the president of the company which hosted the video should be jailed.

[Jack_Dawson]

12. Link?

:shrug;