Mumbai: The unfolding of Salman Khan’s verdict did not just witness courtroom drama, but an emotional one as well. Minutes before Salman arrived at the sessions court, the entire area was jampacked with television reporters, cameramen and a huge number of fans of the Bollywood actor.
Around 10.30 am, Salman, looking calm and composed and accompanied by his family, arrived at the court. In the next 10 minutes, his siblings Sohail, Arbaaz and Arpita, along with his brother-in-law and actor Atul Agnihotri, filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra and former Congress MLA Baba Siddique, took up seats inside the courtroom while Salman waited outside for the judge to arrive.
Before the hearing began, Salman’s family members, dressed almost entirely in white, kept to themselves and maintained some distance from the reporters gathered around them. Although Sohail left the courtroom before the hearing, the others remained inside throughout the hearing.
As both journalists and lawyers present inside the room requested the defence and the public prosecutor to speak louder, it became difficult for the Khan family, seated at the back of the room, to keep track of the proceedings. Arbaaz and Atul seemed impatient with the din and often asked their friends standing closer to the judge’s bench about what was being said. On the other hand, Salman, who is known for his volatile temper, maintained his composure.
At 11.15 am, when judge D.W. Deshpande announced that the actor was driving under the influence of alcohol, Salman remained impassive but looked at his family for support.
The court took an hour-long break around 12.30 pm and there was a power outage soon afterwards. Arbaaz was heard discussing with reporters what the term of the sentence could be in case of conviction.
At 1.25 pm, when the court resumed hearing, judge Deshpande asked Salman what he had to say before the verdict was pronounced. The actor replied calmly that he was not driving the car. However, when he finally announced his verdict, “All charges against you are proven. Court has come to conclusion that you were driving the car under the influence of alcohol”, Salman’s sisters Alvira and Arpita, who were standing close to the actor, broke down. Salman was allowed to meet his family members present inside the courtroom before being taken into custody.
