Filmmaker who threw chemical at lover gets bail

The Bombay High Court on Monday granted bail to filmmaker Jerrit John, convicted for throwing acid at his former girlfriend, after observing that he has already spent more than three years in jail.

Justice Abhay Thipsay granted the production house owner a bail on a surety of Rs25,000 and directed him to appear before the Dadar police once every week, and also to not contact the victim or her family.

On November 10, 2012, John's the then girlfriend Aryanka Hosbetkar had returned from a cycling trip with some of her friends when he reached her Worli residence, threw a chemical on her face while her mother and friends watched, pushed her back inside her house and locked the door from outside before leaving.

In October last year, a special court convicted John under sections 326 (causing grievous hurt by means of a corrosive substance), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 452 (house trespass after preparation for hurt, assault or wrongful restraint) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The court acquitted him of the attempt to murder charge.

John was sentenced to five-year rigorous imprisonment (RI). He then approached the high court challenging the conviction and seeking bail, as he has already spent more than three years in prison.