First blow, then breather for Salman Khan

A day of dramatic twists and turns ended in a temporary relief for Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, when the Bombay High Court on Wednesday evening granted interim bail to him till May 8 when it would hear his appeal against a sessions court order convicting him in the 2002 hit-and-run case.

Justice AM Thipsay granted interim bail to Khan, after observing that a copy of the conviction order had not been furnished to him by the trial court. “The urgency in the matter is that the appellant (Salman) who was on bail throughout the trial is likely to be taken into custody today. However, the copy of the order has not been delivered yet,” Justice Thipsay said.

The court observed that in all fairness and in the interest of justice it would be proper to protect Khan for some time till a copy of the order for the conviction is furnished to him. Justice Thipsay said, “The order could have been pronounced when the copy was ready. Why was the order pronounced today? It should not have been delivered if the copy is not ready.”

Appearing for the actor, senior counsel Harish Salve argued that Khan should be granted bail till he gets the copy of the order. “So far, we have only got a two-page operative part of the judgement but not a detailed copy, giving reasons for the conviction,” he said.

Opposing his plea, government pleader Sandeep Shinde said the High Court should not entertain the actor’s plea without the copy of the conviction order. He said the accused had not enclosed the copy of the order in his appeal which is required under law.

Earlier, during the day, Sessions Judge DW Deshpande sentenced Khan to five years’ rigorous imprisonment after finding him guilty of culpable homicide not amounting to murder charge under IPC and also provisions of other Acts. Khan, attired in a white shirt and light blue jeans, however, insisted, “I was not driving the car...But I respect your decision and accept it. My lawyer will speak on my behalf.”

Convicting Khan, the court drew parallels with Alistair Pereira and Sanjeev Nanda BMW cases.