Chennai: The Supreme Court has dismissed 22 cases filed against filmstar Khushboo in various parts of Tamil Nadu for remarks that she made about pre-marital sex in an interview to a magazine in 2005.
While delivering its judgement, the Supreme Court asked: "When two adults want to live together, what is the offence?
The Madras High Court had ordered that the different cases against her be consolidated and dealt with in a joint trial.
Speaking to NDTV, Khushboo said, "When you look around, every celebrity is pinned down for no rhyme or reason...and that is quite a harassment. I knew what I had spoken...it's not an easy task for a woman to stand alone and say 'I believe in what I have spoken'."
Khushboo says that her original interview to a magazine was misquoted in a Tamil newspaper, and this incorrect report provoked the different cases against her. She said her remarks about pre-marital sex and living together were made as part of a discussion on AIDS and HIV.
In the interview to the Tamil India Today in 2005, Khushboo had said: "No educated man would expect his fiancée to be a virgin. But when involved in pre-marital sex, a woman should protect herself from becoming pregnant and contracting sexually transmitted diseases.''
Enraged protestors said Khushboo's reference to live-in relationships as a norm was unacceptable, derogatory to women and against Tamil culture.
Even the Madras High Court refused to dismiss the cases then.
The actor was subjected to a living hell literally holed up in her home, harassed at odd hours.
Chappals and eggs greeted her when she appeared in court forcing her to tender a public explanation.
"A woman and actor combined together made a statement that made sense...and that was the problem, I think," Khushboo said. (
Read: Who's Khushboo?)