Website head bailed in porn case

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Associated Press in New Delhi
Wednesday December 22, 2004
The Guardian

The Delhi high court granted bail yesterday to the head of eBay's Indian subsidiary, an American citizen who was jailed in connection with the online auction of a sex video clip involving teenagers.

Avnish Bajaj, the head of Baazee.com, India's most popular shopping portal, which is owned by eBay, was arrested on Friday after the sale of images showing classmates at a New Delhi high school engaged in oral sex. His arrest drew the interest of the US state department and a rebuke from officials in India's technology industry.

The court granted bail to Mr Bajaj but asked him to surrender his passport and not leave the country without the court's permission, the Press Trust of India said.

Police said they had arrested Mr Bajaj because he violated a law which makes a criminal offence out of "publishing, transmitting, or causing to publish" obscene material. But eBay said it was "outraged" by the arrest. The sex video sale took place without the knowledge of company officials, it said.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/online/news/0,12597,1378394,00.html