Home Tags Posts tagged with "mumbai high court"

mumbai high court

0

Salman Khan’s conviction for a 2002 hit-and-run case has been overturned by Mumbai’s high court.

In May, a lower court convicted the Bollywood star of culpable homicide and sentenced him to five years in jail for driving over and killing a man sleeping on a pavement.

However, the appeals judge ruled there was not enough evidence.

Salman Khan is one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, appearing in more than 80 Hindi movies, and has a huge fan following.

It was only when the judge insisted that Salman Khan must be present before the verdict was read out, that the actor hurried to the court in south Mumbai on December 10.

Photo Instagram

Photo Instagram

“The appeal is allowed and the decision of the trial court is quashed and set aside. Salman Khan is acquitted of all charges,” AFP quoted the Bombay high court judge Anil Ramchandra Joshi as saying.

The prosecution “failed to establish [the charges] beyond reasonable doubt”, the judge added.

Salman Khan, surrounded by his family members, broke down after hearing the verdict, the Press Trust of India reported.

Today’s verdict is the latest twist in a case that began 13 years ago when Salman Khan’s Toyota Land Cruiser car veered off the road, killing one man and seriously injuring four others.

During his trial in the lower court, Salman Khan had argued that his driver had been behind the wheel, but the judge said it was the actor who had been driving under the influence of alcohol.

Now the high court has said that key evidence – including testimony from a policeman who has since died – was not reliable.

The prosecution is likely to challenge the verdict, reports say.

0

India’s Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Pakistani national Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, the sole surviving gunman of the 2008 attacks on Mumbai.

The judges also rejected his claim that he had been denied a fair trial.

Mohammad Qasab, 24, was convicted of murder and other crimes in May 2010. His first appeal was rejected by the Mumbai High Court in February 2011.

The November 2008 attacks claimed 166 lives. Nine gunmen were also killed.

“In view of the nature of the gravity of his crime and the fact that he participated in waging war against the country, we have no option but to uphold his death penalty,” Supreme Court Justices Aftab Alam and CK Prasad ruled.

Legal experts say it could still be months or even years before Mohammad Qasab’s sentence can be carried out.

India's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Pakistani national Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, the sole surviving gunman of the 2008 attacks on Mumbai

India's Supreme Court has upheld the death sentence of Pakistani national Mohammad Ajmal Amir Qasab, the sole surviving gunman of the 2008 attacks on Mumbai

He has the right to appeal to the same two judges to review his case. If that fails he can take his appeal to other Supreme Court judges. His last hope lies with a plea for clemency to the president.

There will now be huge pressure for the death sentence to be carried out soon.

A spokesman for India’s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, said there should be “no delay” in executing Qasab.

“Those who wage war against the country and kill innocents deserve no mercy,” he said.

Prosecutor Gopal Subramaniam hailed the verdict as “a complete victory of the due processes of law”.

“It was a case argued in a completely professional and dispassionate manner,” Gopal Subramaniam said.

Defence lawyer Raju Ramachandran told reporters outside the court that he had made his arguments and “the court considered them”.

“I bow to the verdict,” he added.

The trial court in Mumbai had found Mohammad Qasab guilty on 3 May 2010 of murder, terrorist acts and waging war on India and sentenced him to death.

In his appeal to the Supreme Court, Mohammad Qasab argued that the prosecution had “failed to prove beyond reasonable doubt” the charges against him.

He said he “may be guilty of killing people and carrying out a terrorist act but I am not guilty of waging war against the state”.

The 60-hour siege of Mumbai began on 26 November 2008, targeting luxury hotels, the main railway station and a Jewish cultural centre.

Mohammad Qasab and an accomplice carried out the assault on the station, killing 52 people.

India blamed Pakistan-based militant group Lashkar-e-Taiba for the attacks.

After initial denials, Pakistan acknowledged that the assault had been partially planned on its territory and that Mohammad Qasab was a Pakistani citizen.