Hit and run: Plea against acquittal rejected

The Supreme Court on Friday declined to entertain a special leave petition (SLP) filed by the widow and son of victim Shaikh Noorulla Shafik, who was killed in a “hit-and run-car accident”, challenging the acquittal of actor Salman Khan and seeking compensation. A bench headed by Justice J.S. Khehar dismissed the petition, observing that since the state of Maharashtra had already filed the appeal, which has been admitted, there was no need for another petition.

The widow, Begumjahan Haroon Khan, and her son said in the SLP that the actor’s acquittal was a gross miscarriage of justice and prayed that they should be suitably compensated for the loss of the sole breadwinner in the family. They said Shaikh Noorulla Shafik was killed on the spot in an accident that occurred on September 28, 2002 and involved a vehicle “driven by Salman Khan”. They have lost their eldest family member in the said accident and therefore have a vital stake in ensuring that they get justice. This court has time and again recognised the legal principle that the victims of a crime are an integral part of the justice delivery system and that they are not forgotten and left high and dry.

The first petitioner, the widow, does odd jobs on a daily basis as a domestic help. The second petitioner is also engaged as menial labour at construction sites. They have no permanent source of employment and both are illiterate. They are somehow carrying on with their lives with the help of good Samaritans and an NGO called “Priya Janahit Sewa Foundation”. Contending that the Bombay high court made a serious error in reversing the well-reasoned judgment of the trial court awarding Salman Khan five years in prison, they said they are filing the present SLP to ensure that they get justice.