HYDERABAD: In a breather to actor Salman Khan, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday granted interim bail to him till May 8 when it would hear his appeal against a sessions court order convicting him in the 2002 hit-and-run case which killed a homeless man.
Justice A M Thipsay granted Salman interim bail after observing that the copy of the conviction order had not been furnished to him by the trial court.
"The urgency in the matter is that the appellant (Salman) who was on bail throughout the trial is likely to be taken into custody today. However, the copy of the order has not been delivered yet," Justice Thipsay said.
The court observed that in all fairness and in the interest of justice it would be proper to protect Salman for some time till a copy of the order for the conviction is furnished to him.
Justice Thipsay said, "The order could have been pronounced when the copy was ready. Why was the order pronounced today. It should not have been delivered if the copy is not ready."
Opposing his plea, government pleader Sandeep Shinde said the High Court should not entertain the actor's plea without a copy of the conviction order. He said the accused had not enclosed the copy of the order in his appeal, which is required under law.
Earlier in the day, a Mumbai sessions judge sentenced Salman to five years in jail after finding him guilty of killing a homeless man in 2002.
Judge D W Deshpande convicted the 49-year-old of culpable homicide for crashing his SUV into a group of homeless men after a night out drinking and then fleeing the scene.
Khan was teary eyed and stood silently in the dock when the judge pronounced the verdict soon after 11 am. He was still and expressionless, with his head down, once the sentence was pronounced a few hours later.
Khan was convicted of all eight charges, including the most severe charge of 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder' that carried a punishment of up to 10 years in jail.
Judge D W Deshpande told Khan he was driving the SUV on that fateful night in Bandra when his car ran over people sleeping on the pavement, killing one and injuring four others. He also said Khan was drunk and had no licence to drive. The actor stood solemn and dejected as the judge read out the verdict.
Courtesy DC
There are mixed opinions from the public about Salman Khan's case judgement.
ReplyDeleteWhile some people are commenting the court for such a just order, and expressing their protest regarding the interim bail granted to him, some other are not...
Some feel he deserves 10 years imprisonment.
A lenient sentence may sure seem preferential, as lower courts tend to give maximum, which gets reduced in high courts!
ReplyDeleteIf you like, take a look at my post too.
http://laffaazz.blogspot.in/2015/05/tortoise-and-rabbit-hit-and-run-race.html?m=1