I accept decision with humility, says Salman Khan after being acquitted in 2002 hit-and-run case
The Bombay High Court bench found fault with the way the prosecution collected its evidence and conducted the case, saying there wasn't reason enough to convict the actor.
The Bombay High Court on Thursday acquitted actor Salman Khan of all charges in the 2002 hit-and-run case. The court, while reading out its verdict, said that the evidence against Khan was not enough for a conviction. According to the bench, the prosecution had failed to prove "beyond reasonable doubt" that the actor was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident and was drunk. It ruled that "regardless of what the common man thinks", Khan could not be convicted. In particular, the court found fault with the way in which the prosecution collected its evidence.
On Wednesday, the court had ruled that the evidence of Ravindra Patil, the prime witness, was “wholly unreliable” as he kept changing his version of the story. Patil used to be Khan's police bodyguard. This was a major blow to the prosecution's case. Thursday's final verdict came seven months after a Mumbai sessions court sentenced the 49-year-old actor to five years in jail for culpable homicide. Khan then appealed against the ruling in the Bombay High Court.
PTI reported that the actor broke down in court after hearing the verdict. Later, he tweeted:
I accept the decision of the judiciary with humility. I thank my family, friends & fans for their support & prayers .
— Salman Khan (@BeingSalmanKhan) December 10, 2015
Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat, who had secured the five-year jail sentence for the actor in the lower court, said the High Court verdict was "shocking". The judgement should be challenged in the Supreme Court as the Bombay High court totally reversed the order of the trial court, he added. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said his government will decide on any further course of action in the case after examining the High Court's verdict. The Times of India reported a Mumbai Police official saying that it will consider filing an appeal against the verdict.
ALERT | Mumbai Police will consider filing appeal against @BeingSalmanKhan's aquittal in hit-and-run case: Joint commissioner Deven Bharti
— Times of India (@timesofindia) December 10, 2015
Very early on 28 September 2002, Salman Khan’s Toyota SUV crashed into a group of people sleeping on the sidewalk in Bandra, Mumbai. One person died and four were seriously injured in the accident. Eyewitnesses said they saw the actor exiting the driver’s seat of the vehicle, though his lawyers argued that it was Khan’s chauffeur Ashok Singh behind the wheel that night.