Richard Gere is no longer a wanted man in India.
The country's highest court has indefinitely suspended a warrant that was issued for the actor's arrest in last year after he enraged Hindu activist groups by embracing Bollywood actress Shilpa Shetty and kissing her on the cheek at an AIDS awareness event.
The spontaneous public display of affection was meant to be a reenactment of a scene from Gere's film Shall We Dance, Shetty later explained.
However, the act apparently violated India's stringent obscenity laws and conservative groups subsequently filed three complaints against Gere and Shetty.
Gere, who visits India frequently promoting health causes and the plight of Tibetan exiles, previously apologized for any offense he may have caused but attributed the controversy to the convictions of a small group of right-wing rabble-rousers. He had no comment on the latest development.
On Friday, Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice R.V. Raveendran dismissed the warrant against Gere and granted him permission to travel to and from India.
The court also criticized the individual that brought the case, stating, "such complaints are publicity hunting. You are bringing a bad name to this country."
Similar legal proceedings against Shetty were also dismissed last year.