Bollywood’s Salman Khan acquitted over hit-and-run crash
Appeal judge says the lower court had erred in accepting the testimony of the prosecution’s key witness
An Indian court on Thursday cleared Bollywood superstar Salman Khan of killing a homeless man in a hit-and-run crash 13 years ago, acquitting him of all charges after he appealed his conviction.
The Bombay High Court said a lower court had erred in finding Khan guilty of culpable homicide at the end of his trial in May, when he was subsequently sentenced to five years in prison.
“The appeal is allowed and the decision of the trial court is quashed and set aside. Salman Khan is acquitted of all charges,” judge Anil Ramchandra Joshi told the Bombay High Court.
Joshi said the prosecution had “failed to establish beyond reasonable doubt” that Khan was driving his SUV and under the influence of alcohol when it rammed into a group of homeless men in suburban Mumbai in 2002.
READ MORE: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s jail term for homicide is suspended amid appeal
Labourer Nurulah Mahbob Sharif was killed and several others were injured when the vehicle ploughed into them at speed as they slept on a street in the suburb of Bandra West.
A sessions court found Khan guilty of all charges in May, including driving under the influence and without a licence.