Salman Khan, the 50-year-old actor who was acquitted of charges in a 2002 hit and run death of a man sleeping on the ground outside a Mumbai bakery, is getting more negative press from the Maharashtra government. While seeking a reversal of the Bombay High Court order that was issued in December, the Maharashtra government calls Salman Khan’s acquittal a “travesty of justice.”
.@realpreityzinta having a great time with @BeingSalmanKhan and Sohail Khan at @ccl #ParleCCL6 pic.twitter.com/FphImazJ20
— MissMalini (@MissMalini) February 3, 2016
Attorney General (AG) Mukul Rohatgi appeared for the state of Maharashtra.
“There is every evidence in every stage against Salman. His acquittal is complete travesty of justice,” he said, adding that Salman Khan’s acquittal is “perverse.”
In addition to running over a man sleeping in the street, Salman Khan also make the choice to drive away without seeking help for the person he hit, or at the very least informing police of the accident.
“Instead of informing the police and taking the victims to the hospital, he (Salman) ran away from the spot,” Rohatgi said.
“Even after 12 hours of the accident, his blood sample was found with .6 alcohol content, which is more,” he added of Salman Khan, also noting that the actor didn’t have a drivers license back in 2002, but only obtained one for the first time in 2004.
.@BeingSalmanKhan makes a surprise visit on the sets of a comedy show to meet Katrina Kaif pic.twitter.com/9IqMWMIeGo
— Zoom TV (@ZoomTV) February 2, 2016
Last May, Salman Khan was found guilty of the crime, but a higher court reversed the order, noting that the prosecution had failed to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the actor was driving and that he was drunk at the time of the accident.
Will the Maharashtra government be successful in convincing the courts that Salman Khan should be found guilty after all?
Khan is the highest paid of all Bollywood actors, and has a huge fan base despite his actions in 2002.