The Bollywood actor Salman Khan, accused of driving under the influence and killing innocent people behind the wheel of a fast car, has been acquitted of all criminal charges. The well-known star gets the benefit of the doubt, which is a fair legal provision. Whether justice has been served may be open to question considering he had been convicted to five years in prison by the sessions court after a lengthy trial, but there is no doubt that justice was delayed in that it was a 13-year trial of sensational twists and turns. The outcome is a happy one for the stars, and more so for producers of his movies who would be heavily invested in the star.
The important point was whether Salman was driving under the influence of alcohol. If he was, it would have been a criminal offence even though what took place was an accident which may have been caused by a tyre-burst. Doubts were raised as to who really was driving, which any smart defence lawyer would have raised since the recording of the incident by the police late at night was bound to be full of holes.
While the rich and famous can hire the smartest lawyers, the prosecution is run by those whom the government can afford. The court declared that the prosecution had not established its case beyond reasonable doubt, a classic ground on which many cases have fallen. Our trust in the judiciary suggests justice has been served and the matter should rest there.
