Salman Khan hit-and-run case: 2002 to 2015

Salman Khan is all set to celebrate his 50th birthday on December 27 with his dear ones at Panvel. But before that, he, along with his family members, celebrated brother Sohail Khan’s birthday on December 20 at a SoBo restaurant, according to a report in Mumbai Mirror. One should remember that Salman was able to celebrate only because of his acquittal in the infamous hit-and-run case of 2002. For this very reason, father Salim Khan raised a toast for Salman’s lawyers, who were also invited at the event, to thank them. Salman too thanked the team of eight lawyers profusely for relieving him from the burden.

Click the following slide to know how Salman’s girlfriend Iulia Vantur reacted after the actor’s acquittal…

Salman's near and dear ones have been rejoicing after Salman Khan was acquitted of all charges in the 2002 hit-and-run-case by the Bombay High Court. According to a report on Bollywoodlife.com, Salman Khan's alleged girlfriend, Iulia Vantur had been praying since morning for the actor to get acquitted in the case. The report further stated that when she heard the news, she got emotional and broke down.

Read on to know what Salman Khan’s lawyer had to say about the case...

Salman Khan’s lawyer: No evidence produced that actor drove the car

Two months after his conviction and bail, actor Salman Khan's counsel Amit Desai began arguments in his appeal hearing before the Bombay HC by citing 25 state witness statements to contend that there "was no evidence that Khan was driving" the vehicle involved in the 2002 hit-and-run case. According to a report, Desai opened the submissions in the appeal filed by the actor against his conviction in the case for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and the five-year sentence given by a lower trial court by saying that the "prosecution's own case, based on 27 witnesses, has not established that Salman Khan was driving the vehicle". Khan was sentenced to five years for killing one person and injuring four after his car crashed into a Bandra cleaner’s on Hill Road near his house in the wee hours of September 2, 2002. The HC has suspended his sentence and is hearing his appeal now.

Read on to know all the details about the hit-and-run case...

The verdict for Salman Khan in the 2002 hit-and-run case has been pronounced and the actor has been sentenced to 5 years imprisonment. He is out on an interim relief for 48 hours. The actor’s white Toyota Land Cruiser had crashed into American Express Bakery at Hill Road, Bandra killing one person and injuring four. Witnesses claimed that they saw the actor leaving the site of the accident and that he was in the driver's seat. Here’s taking a look at the series of developments in the 13-year long case.

September 28, 2002: Salman Khan was arrested by the Bandra police after an FIR was registered. A police officer who testified in the court said that the actor was untraceable after the accident and was later found at his lawyer's house. His blood sample was collected at JJ hospital to determine the alcohol content in his blood. However, he was granted bail on the same day.

October 1, 2002: On the third day after his arrest and bail, Salman was booked under provisions of IPC, Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, and Bombay Prohibition Act, 1949. The Mumbai Police invoked section 304-II of IPC, i.e., culpable homicide not amounting to murder which leads to a punishment of 10 years imprisonment.

October 7, 2002: Salman Khan got arrested after he surrendered again before the Bandra police. While hearing a PIL, the High Court had directed Salman to pay Rs 19 lakh as compensation within two weeks. Out of the total amount, Rs 10 lakh was to be given to the family of Nurullah Mehboob Sharif, who died in the accident.

October 21, 2002: A chargesheet was filed by the Mumbai police against Salman Khan in Bandra magistrate's court. Following this, Salman was granted bail on October 24 by the sessions court.

March 3, 2003: Salman Khan moved court and challenged the application of culpable homicide in Mumbai sessions court. Two months later, on May 6, 2003, the court quashed Salman's plea and asked the magistrate court to frame charges. On June 10, 2003, the actor moved High Court. On October 6, 2003, the Maharashtra government challenged Bombay HC order in Supreme Court, that in turn, ruled that the magistrate court may decide whether section 304-II of IPC could be applied.

October 10, 2006: Charges were framed against Salman Khan by the magistrate. A year later, on October 3, 2007, police bodyguard Ravindra Patil, who filed the first FIR, died of TB. Patil was one of the key eye-witnesses in the case and had said in his statement that Khan was under the influence of alcohol and driving rashly. However, he later withdrew his statement and was deemed hostile.

October 12, 2011: The prosecution demanded harsher sections in the hit-and-run case against Salman Khan. Almost two years later, on June 24, 2013, the sessions court held that culpable homicide charge is applicable against the actor, and rejected his appeal against the order of the magistrate.December 23, 2013: Salman Khan’s case was referred by Magistrate VS Patil to the sessions court for trial. 17 witnesses were examined, and the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was invoked on the actor. Four months later, on April 27, 2014, the trail began at sessions court and the first witness deposed.

July 24, 2014: Charges were framed against Salman Khan. But one of the witnesses turned hostile when he retracted his statement and denied mentioning in his statement that he saw Salman getting off the driver’s seat. The case files went missing from the Bandra police station on July 27, 2014. The court ordered inquiry about the missing files that had the original statements of 63 witnesses in the case. On September 12, 2014, the missing files were found and produced before the court. September 24, 2014 saw Pradeep Gharat being appointed as the special public prosecutor.

March 27, 2015: Salman Khan recorded a statement under section 313 CrPC by Additional Sessions Judge DW Deshpande. The actor claimed that he was not behind the wheels at the time of the mishap. On March 31, 2015, Salman's driver Ashok Singh said that he was driving the car and not Salman. However, the prosecution argued on April 1, 2015, that action should be taken against the driver as he is making a false statement.

April 10, 2015: Salman's lawyers continued to argue that he wasn't behind the wheel at the time of the accident and that the death of the person in the incident may have been caused by the vehicle being dropped by a crane that was brought to move it. The final arguments by Salman's lawyer Shrikant Shivade were completed before the court on April 20, 2015. On April 21, 2015, the court announced that judgement would be given on May 6, 2015.

May 6, 2015: Salman Khan was found guilty of all charges against him. The court pronounced its verdict and sentenced the actor to five years of imprisonment. His lawyers argued in the court stating his humanitarian contribution and his ill health. However, Salman got an interim relief for 48 hours and the defence decided to move to a higher court. The actor returned home after the court received the bail papers in the evening.