In a recent development in the case against Bollywood actor Salman Khan, the Bombay High Court has quashed a private case filed against him and his bodyguard Nawaz Shaikh. The case was filed by a journalist who accused the actor of misbehaving with him during a filming incident in 2019. The Andheri Magistrate Court had issued a summons to Salman Khan and his bodyguard in March 2022, which was later challenged in the High Court.
During the hearing, Justice Bharati H Dangre, a single-judge bench, reserved its orders in the plea filed by Salman Khan and his bodyguard on March 21. Justice Dangre noted that the magistrate had not met the requirements of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) when issuing the summons and that the complaint lacked the necessary “threat” to constitute a crime of criminal intimidation.
The journalist had claimed that he was filming Khan while he was cycling, and when he had the bodyguard’s permission, they allegedly manhandled him and snatched his phone after Khan objected to being photographed. He also alleged that the police had refused to file a complaint, after which he filed a private complaint before the magistrate, seeking criminal action against the actor and his bodyguard.
At the conclusion of the hearing, Justice Dangre said, “Let people have their own privacy, Whether it is an actor, lawyer, or judge. None of you is above the law. Neither an actor nor a press person. Even they are bound to follow the law.”
Salman Khan’s lawyer, senior counsel Aabad Ponda, claimed that the journalist’s words and stance had significantly improved. The case was first filed in 2019 and has been under scrutiny since then. The High Court issued a stay of proceedings on April 5 last year, which was upheld intermittently.
The quashing of the private case will come as a relief to Salman Khan and his bodyguard, who have been under scrutiny for their alleged misbehavior with the journalist. The verdict will also be a significant development for press freedom and privacy laws in India.
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