Journalist’s Complaint Against Salman: ‘Don’t Misuse Judicial Process’, Says HC

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has sent out a strong message against misusing the judiciary, reported PTI.

The high court had last week quashed criminal proceedings against Salman in a 2019 case of a journalist’s complaint of intimidation against the Bollywood megastar.

In the detailed order of Justice Bharati Dangre, made available today, the high court said, “The judicial process need not be a means for needless harassment merely because the accused is a well-known celebrity and without adhering to the procedure of law, he shall not be subjected to unnecessary oppression at the hands of a complainant, who set in the machinery into motion to satisfy his vendetta and assumed that he was insulted by the cine star.”

In March 2022, a magistrate’s court had issued summons to Salman and his bodyguard Nawaz Shaikh, based on a complaint by journalist Ashok Pandey who alleged that he was threatened and assaulted by the above-mentioned duo.

After Salman challenged the summons, the high court stayed the summons on April 5, 2022.

On March 30 this year, Justice Dangre allowed applications filed by Salman and Nawaz, and quashed the proceedings and process (summons) issued to them by a lower court.

“Issuance of process against the applicants (Salman Khan and Nawaz) and continuation of the proceedings is nothing short of abuse (of) the process… and for doing substantial justice, I deem it appropriate to quash the impugned order,” the judge explained.

Observing that the magistrate should have first recorded the complainant’s statement to verify his allegations, Justice Dangre stated in the judgement that continuation of any action against the applicants would result in grave injustice.