The actor Salman Khan’s acquittal in a 2002 hit-and-run case raises more questions than it answers.
A shoddy investigation that weakened the case and a crack team of defence lawyers—these apparently helped the actor Salman Khan walk free 13 years after he was charged in a hit-and-run and drunken driving case that resulted in the death of one person and injured four others. On December 10, the Bombay High Court acquitted the superstar of Hindi filmdom of all charges, citing the failure of the prosecution to prove them conclusively. In May, a lower court had sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment in the case.
In the early hours of September 28, 2002, Salman’s car ran over five people sleeping on a pavement in Mumbai’s Bandra area. Nurulla Sharif was killed on the spot. Given the inconsistencies in the statements of the witnesses, it is not clear whether Salman or his driver was behind the wheel when the incident happened. Initially, it was assumed that Salman, who in those days was known for his wayward partying, was behind the wheel. As the investigation dragged on, it began to emerge that lack of substantive evidence had botched up the case.
Lawyers familiar with the case say that it is not just a story of a leading Hindi film actor using his influence to circumvent the law. Of course, it is true that he could afford the best defence lawyers in the country. But what helped him more was the careless probe by the police and investigation agencies.
“The law works with evidence and arguments presented in court. You cannot fault them. What messed up the prosecution’s case was what happened soon after the accident; for instance, the delay in the collection of the blood samples or forensic material from the accident site and, more importantly, the lack of or inconsistency in eyewitness statements,” said a lawyer.
This story is from the January 8, 2016 edition of FRONTLINE.
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This story is from the January 8, 2016 edition of FRONTLINE.
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