Hit-and-run case: Salman Khan sentenced for 5 years, to be taken into custody today

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan was today convicted by a Mumbai sessions court of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in the 2002 hit and run case and has been sentenced to five years in jail. The actor will be taken into custody today and will be taken to Arthur Road jail later tonight.

Khan will have to take his bail plea to the High Court since he has been sentenced to a term greater than three years.

The judgement in the 13-year-old case, whose trial saw many twists and turns, was delivered by Judge D W Deshpande where the 49-year-old actor and his family were present. Significantly, the court held that the actor was driving under the influence of alcohol and also did not have a driving license.

The court relied upon judgements in Alistair Pereira and Nikhil Nanda BMW case of Delhi while convicting Khan. It also asked what he had to say on the verdict to which he denied charges saying he was not driving the car at the time of mishap.

After the conviction, Khan’s lawyer began arguments on quantum of punishment in the case.

A tight security blanket was thrown around the court, where Salman’s family including brothers Arbaaz, Sohail and sister Arpita Khan had arrived early this morning ahead of the verdict.

One person was killed and four others were injured on the night of 28 September, 2002 in suburban Bandra when Salman’s Toyota Land Cruiser rammed into a Bakery. The victims were sleeping on the pavement when the SUV ran over them.

A Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate, who conducted the trial under lesser charge of rash and negligent driving, which carries a maximum punishment of two years, had in 2012 slapped the more serious offence of culpable homicide and committed the matter to the sessions court.

The popular actor was tried afresh under the harsher charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder which is punishable with imprisonment upto 10 years.

While the prosecution had insisted that a drunk Khan was driving the Land Cruiser, the actor had claimed that it was his driver Ashok Singh who was behind the wheel. Singh has endorsed the defence’s claim.

The defence had also argued that police had not obtained finger prints from the steering wheel to find out who was driving the vehicle.

Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat has alleged that Khan was driving the vehicle after consuming ‘Bacardi rum’ at a bar, a charge denied by the actor, who said he had just a glass of water.

Nurullah Mehboob Sharif was killed in the accident in which Kalim Mohammed Pathan, Munna Malai Khan, Abdullah Rauf Shaikh and Muslim Shaikh had been injured.

With inputs from PTI