Salman Khan acquitted of charges in the 2002 hit-and-run case against him. Mumbai High Court set’s him free.
Acquitted
Back in 2002, Salman Khan was arrested for allegedly driving into a bakery, and he was said to be under the influence of alcohol and was supposedly behind the wheel. This case went beyond destruction of property, because the car also drove over some pavement dwellers, causing the death of one and injuries to three others.
Arrested
The case carried on till May 2015, when Salman Khan was found guilty of all charges brought against him for the hit-and-run case, shocking his fans from around the globe. He was sentenced to a 5 year prison sentence.
Shocked at guilty verdict
In the meantime Salman Khan’s driver Ashok Singh gave testimony that he was one driving on that fateful night and was later arrested for perjury and misleading the court. However, Ashok Singh never took back his statement, nor did he back down.
Driver confesses
Police Constable Ravindra Patil, who was assigned to Salman Khan as a bodyguard due to threats from the underworld, was the chief witness against Salman Khan in this case. In the course of the case being in court, Patil was kidnapped and later killed due to some embroilment with the mafia. His witness was taken into account when Salman was found guilty in May 2015.
Ravindra Patil
Salman, was granted bail and he made an appeal to a higher court. Yesterday, Justice A.R. Joshi of the Mumbai High Court stated that the witness given by Police Cnnstable Ravindra Patil was “wholly unreliable” because he made improvements in the second statement recorded, when compared to his first statement, just after the incident. The prosecution was unable to prove drunken driving as well.
Reprieve before verdict
On December 10 2015, the Mumbai High Court returned the verdict of not guilty to Salman Khan for the 2002, hit-and-run case.
