An Indian court convicted Bollywood’s megastar Salman Khan and jailed him for five years for poaching a protected species of Indian antelope on Thursday. But this is not the only time the Bollywood star has been in the crosshairs of the law.
In 2002, he was accused of running over a number of people sleeping on a pavement while being at the wheel of his car drunk.
Ravindra Patil- a Mumbai police constable assigned to Khan for his protection, was with him during the fateful night of September 28, 2002.
His life took a turn for the worse as he was with the actor in his car during the accident that allegedly killed one person and injured four others - a case in which Khan was later acquitted in 2015.
A few hours after the mishap, Patil lodged a first information report stating that Salman Khan was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident.
Salman Khan (left) and Ravindra Ptil. Source: Tehelka
But little to Patil’s knowledge that statement was going to change his life forever.
A few days later, Patil revised his statement claiming that Khan was driving under the influence of alcohol at the time of the mishap. He also told the magistrate that he had warned the actor not to drive rashly, but his warning was dismissed.
As the case progressed, it became clear that Patil was the prime witness whose testimony would be a crucial factor in deciding Khan’s future. However, this did not happen and his statement was deemed legally “inadmissible” by the court in 2015 because he had revised his initial assertion.
As reported by his family and friends, Patil was under enormous pressure to change his statement against the actor and even went missing during the course of the trial.
Ironically, the man who had dutifully informed the authorities of the accident was arrested for missing court hearings and was even removed from the force due to his prolonged absence.
In the meantime, his personal life too was in turmoil. His wife divorced him because he had abandoned her.
Less than a year later in 2007, he was found in a frail condition at a TB hospital where he died alone.
In 2015, a Mumbai court convicted Salman Khan in the hit-run case, but the Bollywood star was acquitted of the charges seven months later by the Mumbai High Court.
Till date, the actor’s popularity remains unaffected and he continues to rule the hearts of millions of his fans with his action-packed movies and quirky dance numbers.
