As Salman Khan thanked his supporters, Bollywood celebrities including filmmakers Subhash Ghai and Ram Gopal Varma have welcomed the Rajasthan High Court’s decision to acquit the actor in two 18-year-old chinkara poaching cases. Twitter, meanwhile, had a field day, making jokes referring to Khan’s other court case, in which he was also acquitted — of murder.
Khan on Monday night used Twitter to give thanks.
“Thank you for your prayers and support,” the Wanted star wrote.
An Indian court acquitted the Bollywood star on Monday in two cases of killing protected deer in the forests of Rajasthan state 18 years ago.
The ruling, by the High Court of Rajasthan in Jodhpur, overturned previous convictions in which Khan received sentences of one year and five years in prison in the deaths of the two animals.
The actor remains a defendant in another case of shooting protected antelopes, known as black bucks, in the same area, and in a case involving illegal arms connected to the poaching charges.
Ghai, who has supported the actor in previous incidents, tweeted: “Acquittal [of] Salman Khan is [a] story of bad times [and] good times. I fully believe in our judiciary with many doors open to knock for fair justice”.
Varma expressed displeasure over the time it took for the verdict.
“Only celebrity cases make us realise how dead slow judiciary works. It’s scary, it took 20 years for court to decide Salman Khan is not guilty,” he tweeted.
Filmmaker Ashoke Pandit also congratulated Khan and his father, veteran lyricist Salim Khan.
Actress Shweta Rohira posted: “My happiness and relief knows no bounds today! Goodness wins! Love you bhai [brother].”
Others on social media reminded the world of Khan’s other recent brush with the law.
“Now that Salman Khan is free from all the charges, he can shut the Being Human NGO down,” said one user, referring to the actor’s charity foundation. Another tweeted: “Don’t tell me it was bhai’s driver again!”
Khan’s driver had come forward during a retrial last year to say that he had been driving the car that mowed down pavement dwellers. It took the driver more than ten years to come forward, however. Khan was acquitted due to lack of evidence.
“On the positive side... now that he is acquitted... Salman Khan will stop making and wearing those ugly being human T-shirts”, said one Twitter user, while another called the case a mockery. “His acquittal is nothing but a small portion of preparations required for him to settle down. A mockery to Indian judicial system”.
Some angry social media users condemned the judgment as “shameless”.
“In India, law is only for poor. But more bad thing is that people like such personalities [sic],” wrote one user.
Other comments were: “Nothing new, it’s just the Indian judiciary acting like Indian judiciary”, “Salman Khan is the real ambassador of technological development in India. Driver-less cars, Self-firing guns”, “Though I like Salman Khan this is a sad day for our judicial system... everyone seems blindfolded to the verdict”.
A state committee will study the verdict announced on Monday before deciding whether to appeal to the Supreme Court, said Raj Kumar Rinwa, the minister of forests and environment in Rajasthan.
— With inputs from New York Times
