This Article is From Dec 23, 2015

Maharashtra To Challenge Salman Khan's Acquittal In Hit-And-Run Case

Maharashtra To Challenge Salman Khan's Acquittal In Hit-And-Run Case

Actor Salman Khan was acquitted by the Bombay High Court in a 2002 hit-and-run case (Agence France-Presse photo)

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government will move Supreme Court against actor Salman Khan's acquittal in a 2002 hit-and-run case by the Bombay High Court earlier this month.

In May, a trial court had held Mr Khan guilty of killing a man with his SUV after a night out drinking on September 28, 2002. The actor's Toyota Land Cruiser had crashed into five men sleeping outside a bakery in Bandra.

The High Court overturned that order on December 10, acquitting the 49-year-old actor of all charges and cancelling his five-year jail sentence. The court held that the prosecution had failed to establish beyond doubt that Mr Khan was driving and was drunk at the time of the accident. It discredited the testimony of a key prosecution witness - the actor's bodyguard Ravindra Patil - who had said that the Mr Khan was driving drunk and had ignored his repeated warnings. Mr Patil died of tuberculosis in 2007.

Salman Khan, who had rushed out of a film shooting to be present in court for the verdict, broke down and was seen wiping tears after the verdict was announced. His father and sisters were present in the packed courtroom.

The actor is among Bollywood's busiest and has Rs 200 crore riding on him.
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