Salman Khan went to jail. Then he was out. Then he went to jail again; again he was out. A guilty verdict is pronounced but then overturned. Yet another guilty verdict is pronounced but Bhai is out yet again! Is this a case of a celebrity buying his way out of guilt? Detractors certainly think that this is a travesty of justice. Or is this a case of someone being prosecuted with unusual fervor simply because he is an extraordinarily high profile celebrity? Fans think this is true
The actor was awarded jail time for killing two black bucks - endangered species in 1998 - and his lawyers appealed the decision. Pending the appeal, the courts granted Salman Khan bail. This is not unusual in a case of this sort, if the accused maintains his innocence and if his lawyers are able to point our procedural and other lacunae in the matter. This is most certainly not ‘the victory of truth’ as Bhai-fans who believe in Salman Khan’s innocence would like to suppose.
At least some of the hysterically rejoicing fans, seem to forget that this is just bail pending appeal; this is not an acquittal. If the appellate court finds that the trial court’s decision was correct, Salman Khan will have to do jail time.
The charge of bribery immediately is leveled. It is assumed that powerful palms were greased for the actor to receive bail so expeditiously.
The tweet alludes to the fact that the superstar was in the same jail as Godman Asaram Bapu under-trial accused of raping a minor.
There is no doubt that Salman Khan's fans are a class of their own. Their sheer, dogged devotion is second to none. They celebrated the granting of bail; ecstatic that Bhai was out.
However, the court's decision to grant bail has angered many. It has been criticized and mourned by those who believe that stars should be punished for their misdemeanors the same as everyone else. This tweet also alludes to the issue of Khan being accused and found guilty of drunk driving which killed people; a crime for which he was acquitted on appeal.
For some reason, there are many who feel that Salman Khan’s charitable and philanthropic work is a relevant point here. A bizarre equivalency is sought to be drawn here: that if a person is seen to do good deeds, this somehow cancels out his crimes. This is the same justification that followers of Gurmeet Ram Rahim offer to explain away and absolve their guru of all wrongdoing.
However filmy and unjust the acquittal of Salman Khan was in the case of the hit and run case, the alacrity with which the star was prosecuted for the black buck shooting does seem strange. Our courts have an abysmally poor record of guilty verdicts in matters of poaching; whether it is black bucks, tigers, rhinos or other endangered species. The five year jail sentence is therefore unusual.
There is no doubt that the rich and powerful are held to a completely different standard of justice and behavior than the rest of us in India. They are able to manipulate the system to subvert justice in a great number of cases. Cases drag on for years if not decades. Khan’s acquittal in the hit and run case is proof of this fact. The black buck shooting case also took 20 years to finally reach a verdict. The question does beg to be asked: is the five year sentence fair? Would the case have attracted the same prosecutorial zeal if the accused was a regular poacher and not a high profile celebrity? Would the sentence have been the same if there wasn’t an influential community such as the Bishnois pursuing the matter?
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