It is a crucial day for Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who has been convicted and sentenced to five years in jail for killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run case, as the Bombay High Court is due to hear his bail plea on Friday. The Bombay HC will today decide whether Salman Khan will go to jail to serve a five-year prison term handed down to him on Wednesday or get bail.
Here are the live updates:
– Huge crowd of fans gathered outside the Bollywood superstar’s residence in suburban Bandra
Zafar Sareshwala reaches Salman Khan’s residence
– Abha Singh and Public Prosecutor Sandeep Shinde are in the courtroom for Salman Khan’s hearing
– Salman Khan’s sister Alvira Khan sitting in second row behind lawyers in the courtroom
Salman’s bail hearing listed number 2 on court agenda, say reports
– Salman Khan’s lawyer Amit Desai reaches HC for Salman Khan’s hearing
– Homeless people protest outside High court where Salman Khan’s bail hearing is to happen.
– The case is likely to see a development after 11 am.
– Salman Khan’s sister Alvira Khan reaches HC for Salman Khan’s hearing
– Bail is matter of right, in such cases bail is usually given: Waris Pathan (1st lawyer)
– Baba Siddique reaches HC for Salman Khan’s hearing
– Public Prosecutor Sandeep Shinde reaches HC for Salman Khan’s hearing
– Senior counsel Amit Desai will appear for Salman Khan in Bombay HC, say reports
– Security has been tightened outside Salman Khan’s residence
Hit-and-run case:
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who was convicted by sessions court judge DW Deshpande on Wednesday in the 13-year-old infamous 2002 hit-and-run case and sentenced to 5 years in jail, is awaiting his bail plea decision by the Bombay High Court on Friday.
Reports suggest that senior advocate Harish Salve will not be representing the actor in the High Court. The actor’s plea will come up before Justice Abhay Thipsay, who had granted him interim bail on Wednesday for two days on several grounds, including the Bollywood superstar not having received the copy of the judgement, soon after his conviction and sentencing by the sessions court.
Salman’s legal team has now received the voluminous 240-page judgement.
However, Salman who has been on bail for nearly 13 years, is not likely to be present in the Bombay HC today.
The interim bail was granted to Salman just hours after he was found guilty and subsequently sentenced to five years in jail, plus imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 by Additional Sessions Judge DW Deshpande, who had pronounced him guilty on all the prosecution charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, rash and drunken driving, driving without a valid licence and other laws.
The ruling came in the 13-year-old accident case when Salman’s Toyota Land Cruiser rammed into a bakery in Bandra West, a short distance from his sea-facing home in Galaxy Apartments, in the early hours of September 28, 2002, killing one pavement dweller and injuring four others.
The hearing would be crucial for the actor since it is the final working day of the High Court before it goes for annual summer vacations till June 8.