Mumbai: Salman Khan was today sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment by a Mumbai sessions court, which convicted him of culpable homicide in the 2002 hit-and-run case, dealing a big blow to the Bollywood superstar.
Judge D W Deshpande, who held the 49-year-old actor guilty of “all charges”, including driving under influence of liquor and not possessing a driving licence, pronounced the sentence after a 45-minute adjournment of the proceedings.
Highlights of Salman Khan case verdict:
1. Mumbai court convicts Bollywood actor Salman Khan in the 2002 hit-and-run case, says all charges proved.
2. Court relies upon judgements in Alistair Pereira case and Nikhil Nanda BMW case of Delhi while convicting Salman Khan.
3. Court asks Salman Khan what he has to say, actor denies charges, says he was not driving the car.
4. Salman Khan listens to verdict with tears in his eyes.
5. Court, after convicting Salman Khan, is hearing his lawyer’s arguments on the quantum of punishment
6. Court adjourned for 45 minutes after hearing arguments of defence and prosecution on quantum of sentence.
7. Prosecution to move a perjury application against Salman Khan’s driver Ashok Singh for giving false testimony
A big crowd, mostly of Salman’s fans, thronged around the court located in Fort area of south Mumbai.
The actor, who had fought back tears after being convicted, looked calm and composed as the judgement was read out to him in the presence of his close family members.
The superstar’s brothers Arbaaz and Sohail and sister Arpita were present in the court on the judgement day, which came after a long drawn legal process.
Dressed in a white shirt and blue jeans, the actor arrived in the jam-packed courtroom minutes before the proceedings began in the morning.
Sessions court judge D W Deshpande ruled “all charges” against the actor have been proved, including the stringent charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, besides various other offences, including rash and negligent driving and driving under influence of liquor.
The judge held that the actor also did not have a driving licence. The prosecution had alleged that Khan was driving without holding a licence and, to buttress its charge, produced RTO records to show that the actor had procured a licence only in 2004, two years after the tragedy
The court, while pronouncing the judgement, drew parallels with the Alistair Pereira and Sanjeev Nanda BMW cases.
Asked if he had to say anything about the verdict, Salman denied the charge that he was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident.
Salman had earlier been tried for the lesser offence of causing death by rash and negligent driving which attracts a lighter punishment of imprisonment upto two years.
After examining several witnesses, a Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate had called off the trial midway in 2012 and slapped the serious charge of culpable homicide against the actor before committing the matter to the sessions court.
The court, while convicting the hugely popular actor, upheld the prosecution’s contention that he was at the wheel when his Toyota Land Cruiser ran over five people sleeping on the pavement outside American Express bakery in suburban Bandra, killing one person and wounding four. be, the law is the same. Today, in fact, the law has won. In my opinion, police officials have done a magnificent job.”
Following is the chronology of events in the 2002 hit-and-run case in which actor Salman Khan was convicted by a Mumbai court today.
September 28, 2002: Salman’s white-colour Toyota Land Cruiser crashes into American Express Bakery at Hill Road at Bandra, killing one person and injuring four others.
Sept 28: Salman’s blood samples taken.
Sept 28: Salman arrested by Bandra Police, granted bail.
October 1: Salman booked under provisions of IPC, Motor
Vehicles Act, 1988, and Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949.
Oct 2002: Mumbai Police invokes section 304-II of IPC i.eculpable homicide not amounting to murder which attracts
punishment of jail term of 10 years.
Oct 7, 2002: Salman surrenders again before Bandra
Police, he is arrested.
Oct 21, 2002: Mumbai Police files charge sheet in Bandra
magistrate court.
Oct 24, 2002: Salman granted bail.
March 2003: Salman challenges application of section
304-II of IPC in Mumbai sessions court.
May 2003: Sessions court rejects the plea, asks
magistrate court to frame charges.
June 2003: Salman moves Bombay High Court, which opines
that section 304-II of IPC not applicable in the case.
October 2003: Maharashtra government challenges Bombay HC
order in Supreme Court.
December 2003: SC rules that the magistrate court may
decide whether section 304-II of IPC could be applied.
October 2006: Magistrate frames charges against Salman
Khan.
Oct 3, 2007: Police bodyguard Ravindra Patil, who filed
the first FIR, dies of TB.
Oct 2011: Prosecution demands Salman Khan must be tried
under harsher sections.
December 23, 2013: Additional Chief Metropolitan
Magistrate V S Patil, after examining 17 witnesses,
invokes charge of culpable homicide not amounting to
murder on the actor and refers case to Sessions Court
for trial.
June 24, 2013: Sessions Court holds that culpable
homicide charge is applicable, rejects Salman’s appeal
against the order of Magistrate.
April 27, 2014: Fresh trial begins in Sessions Court,
first witness deposes.
July 24, 2014: Charges framed against Salman in fresh
trial by Sessions Court.
July 2014: Files in the case disappear from Bandra Police
Station. Original statements of 63 witnesses reported
missing. Court orders inquiry.
September 12, 2014: Files found and produced before
court.
Sept 2014: Pradeep Gharat appointed Special Public
Prosecutor in this case.
March 25, 2015: Prosecution closes evidence after
examining 24 witnesses.
Mar 27, 2015: Salman Khan’s statement recorded under
section 313 CrPC by Additional Sessions Judge D W
Deshpande.
March 31: Salman’s driver Ashok Singh examined as defence
witness, says he was driving the car and not the actor.
April 1: Prosecution beings arguments.
Apr 10: Salman’s lawyer begins arguments.
Apr 20: Arguments conclude.
Apr 21: Court says it would give judgement on May 6.
May 6: Court delivers verdict, Salman is convicted.
May 6: Salman Khan to be jailed for 5 years; no more compensation to be paid from his behalf