MUMBAI: Actor Salman Khan is not guilty in the 2002 hit-and-run case, the Bombay High Court ruled today, overturning his conviction by a lower court in May and dropping all charges against him. The 49-year-old superstar broke down after hearing the verdict.
"On basis of evidences produced by the prosecution, (Salman Khan) cannot be convicted, no matter how differently the common man thinks," the High Court said, in a verdict cheered not just by his family and fans but also by the film industry.
"On basis of evidences produced by the prosecution, (Salman Khan) cannot be convicted, no matter how differently the common man thinks," the High Court said, in a verdict cheered not just by his family and fans but also by the film industry.
Salman Khan, one of Bollywood's biggest stars with Rs. 200 crore riding on him, was in court when the judge announced that he had been acquitted and asked the police to return his passport. He had left a film shoot at a Mumbai studio when the court summoned him.
The 49-year-old had appealed against the lower court order that had held him guilty of killing a man with his SUV after a night out drinking. He had then been sentenced to five years in jail.
The court said that the prosecution had failed to establish beyond doubt that the actor was driving and was drunk at the time of the accident.
The court also questioned the credibility of one of the key prosecution witnesses - Mr Khan's bodyguard Ravindra Patil - who had said that the actor was driving drunk and had ignored his warnings repeatedly. Mr Patil, who died in penury in 2007, was the only one to say it, the court noted.
"If the witness is partly reliable, then corroboration is required. Ravindra Patil cannot be considered as a wholly reliable witness," the court said, asserting that the Sessions court had made a mistake by relying on his statement.
The court also observed that the manner in which evidence like bar bills had been collected suggested fabrication.
Also, not questioning singer Kamaal Khan, who was also in Salman Khan's car that night, was an error, said the court.
In the early hours of September 28, 2002, the actor's Toyota Land Cruiser crashed into five men sleeping outside the American Bakery in Bandra. One person, Nurullah Sharif, died and four were injured.hm
The 49-year-old had appealed against the lower court order that had held him guilty of killing a man with his SUV after a night out drinking. He had then been sentenced to five years in jail.
The court said that the prosecution had failed to establish beyond doubt that the actor was driving and was drunk at the time of the accident.
The court also questioned the credibility of one of the key prosecution witnesses - Mr Khan's bodyguard Ravindra Patil - who had said that the actor was driving drunk and had ignored his warnings repeatedly. Mr Patil, who died in penury in 2007, was the only one to say it, the court noted.
"If the witness is partly reliable, then corroboration is required. Ravindra Patil cannot be considered as a wholly reliable witness," the court said, asserting that the Sessions court had made a mistake by relying on his statement.
The court also observed that the manner in which evidence like bar bills had been collected suggested fabrication.
Also, not questioning singer Kamaal Khan, who was also in Salman Khan's car that night, was an error, said the court.
In the early hours of September 28, 2002, the actor's Toyota Land Cruiser crashed into five men sleeping outside the American Bakery in Bandra. One person, Nurullah Sharif, died and four were injured.hm
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