Bollywood actor Salman Khan got into trouble in 1998 when he allegedly went hunting in Rajasthan forests during the shoot of Hum Saath Saath Hain. He was accused of killing a blackbuck and chinkaras in two separate incidents. The actor had appealed to the Rajasthan high court challenging a lower court’s verdict that convicted him and sentenced him to one and five years in jail for the two cases of poaching. The High Court on Monday acquitted him in the two poaching cases.
In December 2015, Salman Khan was also acquitted by the High Court in a hit and run case. This happened soon after the actor was convicted by a lower court as guilty.
Lady luck seems to be smiling at Khan, but the acquittal seems to have angered Indian Twitterati:
@KadakCoffee: “#SalmanKhan We have world’s most biased and worst judiciary system. Our judges actually don’t care about law.”
@arivananthamgm: “#SalmanKhan - If men have lots of money and are popular, they can buy anything in #India.”
@Almasroorjan: “RIP to our Judiciary and entire system that are responsible for letting him walk free so soon. #SalmanKhan”
@neerajpandey2: “The black buck probably commited sucide after watching salman’s acting skills.
#SalmanVerdict #SalmanKhan #innocentsalman”
@VinaySuper: “First a self-driven car, now self-shooting gun too? #SalmanKhan”
@LALITSHARMAHP: “First it was in case of hit and run. Now chinkara. Please HC will you tell us who committed crime? #ChinkaraCommittedSuicide #SalmanKhan.”
@I_A_M_SUMIT: “No one killed the deer. No one killed those on the footpath. They just disappeared. #SalmanVerdict #SalmanKhan”
@Sadist_Tomato: “What’s new in this case? We all should know by now that the black buck was driving the car. #SalmanKhan”
@devaiahPB: “I have faith in #SalmanKhan. But I just don’t have faith in our judicial system.”
@NotRajnikant: “#SalmanKhan should file a case against the lower courts, which dragged him for almost 20 years.”
@HahahaItsOkay: “For a bhakt, it doesn’t matter whether he killed a blackbuck or a black dog, they’re single minded and focused on cows only. #SalmanKhan”
@TheVivekSharma: “Q: Who are the die-hard fans of #SalmanKhan? A: High Court Judges. That’s why he’s acquitted from every case even black buck poaching.”
@Mohangaur8: “And Oscar award goes to Indian law. #SalmanKhan”
@SRK_7MSD: “Sad and angry. An innocent animal lost justice today thanks to money power. Shame on you #SalmanKhans.”
His supporters answered back:
@nawabaadi: “Dear #SalmanKhan haters, go get yourselves a life please.”
@Jibburam26: “If he was able to do something for innocent chinkara and blackbucks, he would definitely have done. Haters, go and check #SalmanKhan kindness.”
Others discussed hypocrisy in society after the judgement:
@animeshsingh69: “When #SalmanKhan gets acquitted, judiciary is biased. When #SanjayDutt gets convicted, Judiciary is even-handed. What’s with hypocrisy?”
@animeshsingh69: “People just want to make a fuss out of everything. Had he been convicted, same people would have empathy for #SalmanKhan #IncredibleIndia”
@lost_bird: “People who never knew chinkaras even existed before the #SalmanKhan case now acting like messiahs for them.”
@SaysItSo:”A tolerant society never reacts sarcastically to a judgement delivered by an authority like high court #SalmanKhan #SalmanVerdict.
