2002 Hit and run case: New trouble for Salman Khan

On January 20, it was reported  that the Maharashtra government will file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) before the Supreme Court in a week's time, challenging the Bombay High Court verdict that acquitted Bollywood superstar Salman Khan in the 2002 hit-and-run case. Now, we hear the petition has finally been filed, two days later. 

An official in the Law and Judiciary department said that directions have been issued to state lawyers to file the SLP. "The government will challenge the high court verdict on its merits. The SLP will be filed within a week's time," the official said. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had already announced that the state government would appeal against the high court verdict that acquitted Khan of all charges.

According to the official by law, the government can challenge the high court verdict within 90 days of the verdict. Bombay High Court Justice A R Joshi had on December 10 last year acquitted the 50-year-old actor of all charges in the September 2002 hit-and-run case. The official said that the Sessions Court had admitted the statement of late police constable Ravindra Patil, while the high court in its verdict set aside the same statement of Patil.

Justice Joshi in his verdict had dealt heavily on the loopholes in the police investigations and delay in the collection of blood samples. Earlier in May 2015, the Session Court Judge D W Deshpande had held Khan guilty and sentenced him to five years in jail in the case.

(With agency inputs)