Richard Gere prepares to hug Bollywood actor Shilpa Shetty during and event for HIV-AIDS awareness in New Delhi, 16 Apr 2007

India's Supreme Court has suspended legal proceedings against Hollywood actor Richard Gere, who faced obscenity charges for publicly kissing Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty last year.

Friday, the court indefinitely stayed the arrest warrant issued against Gere and granted him permission to travel to and from India.

Gere embraced and kissed Shetty on her cheek at the public AIDS awareness event in New Delhi last year, prompting Hindu hard-liners to allege the pair had offended India's conservative culture.

An Indian judge issued an arrest warrant for Gere and a summons for Shetty following a complaint accusing the pair of obscenity. The summons against Shetty was eventually suspended.

A devout Buddhist, Gere is involved with charities dealing with AIDS and orphans in India and often visits the country.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, and Reuters.