Khan hums a song, cries after the verdict.
By Dileep Thekkethil
A day after the Mumbai High Court observed the key witness of the hit-and-run case involving Bollywood actor Salman Khan as being unreliable, the actor has been acquitted of the charges and the verdict of the trial court that sentenced him to five years imprisonment revoked.
Justice AR Joshi, pronouncing the judgment said: “The appeal filed by Salman Salim Khan is allowed. He is acquitted of all charges against him. His conviction and sentence stand quashed.”
Hearing the judgment, the macho actor of Bollywood heaved a sigh of relief and bowed his head down before looking at the judge with a relieved look from the witness box.
After pronouncing the verdict, Justice Joshi left the court, following which Khan came out of the witness box and mingled with his family and lawyers.
Khan was seen reclining against a wall and humming a song, after the verdict. The actor couldn’t hold back his emotions and tears started trickling down. Reports say his longtimebodyguard Shera advised him to cover his face against the wall.
Salman’s sister Alvira Khan Agnihotri, who was overwhelmed by joy, didn’t suppress her feelings and went on to flash a thumbs up as a sign of victory.
Earlier, the court had directed the 49-year old actor to be present in at least the proceedings of the court and Salman was duly present at the high court at 1:30 pm, when Justice Joshi started proceedings.
Salman had walked into the packed courtroom with sister Alvira, his brother-in-law Aayush Sharma and Shera. He later thanked his lawyers, including senior counsel Amit Desai.
Desai later said, “This is a victory not just for Salman, but also us. It is satisfying as an advocate when the court appreciates your arguments and accepts it.”
The Bombay High Court had observed on Wednesday that the prosecution failed to prove beyond doubt that Salman was driving the ill-fated Toyota Land Cruiser or he was under the influence of alcohol when the vehicle rammed into people who were sleeping on the pavement.
Justice AR Joshi had said that the testimony of late police constable Ravindra Patil, who was assigned to guard Salman Khan on the night of the fateful accident, is unreliable.
Salman Khan was inside the Land Cruiser when it rammed into the pavement, killing one person and injuring four. The judge also noted that the prosecution has failed to prove that the incident didn’t happen due to the bursting of tyre.
Calling Patil an unreliable witness, the judge observed that it was difficult to believe that the tyre burst due to the impact during the crash.
The court also added that the police statement of Patil recorded hours after the accident had no mention about Khan being drunk. Patel came up with the claim only a few months after receiving the report of the blood samples.