Justice has been served in the Salman Khan hit-and-run case. It is an exemplary verdict based on the evidence and is neither proportionate to the person’s status nor disproportionate to the gravity of the crime. One person was killed and four others badly injured in the actor’s high-speed jinks late at night in a Mumbai suburb, and the fact that the occupants of the car left the scene after the mishap was not merely to be condemned but was also a serious violation of the law.
It can be argued that celebrities are likely to suffer from a stricter interpretation of the law as the establishment attempts to make the punishment exemplary in a cause célèbre. But to instil the fear of law in everyone justice must not only be done but also be seen to be done, particularly in such cases, so as to serve as a warning. “Driving under the influence of liquor” made the crime even more culpable.
The appeal process may stretch a case already ridiculously long in its 13-year pendency in a sessions court. But, as we saw in the Sanjay Dutt case, the wheels of justice do move in our country even if they do grind slowly in the case of the rich and those capable of running rings around the legal system. For now, Salman has been granted two days’ interim bail.
While every person has a right to a defence, the willing commitment of perjury, as suspected in the case of his driver belatedly revealing he was behind the wheel, might have worsened Salman’s case rather than helped it. The prosecution’s ability to dismantle the defence, and the judge’s wisdom in seeing through the subterfuge, have been instrumental in bringing a kind of closure.
In this era of free speech a lot has been said and heard in the case, including the difficulties in the making films the matinee idol has signed up for. But none of it, including the outrageous comment that the government should give housing to all so no one will sleep on the road while Bollywood stars test their speed machines late at night, merits any attention.
The justice system must consider nothing except the evidence and the crime, all of which weighed against the actor, however charitable his disposition. It will be interesting to see how the rest of the story pans out as Salman appeals the verdict and his lawyers test the country’s legal system, which is not known to concern itself with speedy delivery.
