Bombay HC stays proceedings against Salman Khan in lower court

In a relief to actor Salman Khan, the Bombay High Court on Monday stayed proceedings against him in a magistrate's court on a private complaint seeking contempt action against him for posting court orders in cases against him on his website.

Salman's lawyer Ravi Kadam pleaded that the 2002 hit-and-run case involving the actor had been committed to sessions court for trial and hence the magistrate had no jurisdiction to issue notice to him on the contempt complaint filed against him by activist Hemant Patil.

Justice M L Tahilyani stayed the notice as well as proceedings against Salman until further orders. The judge also allowed Patil three weeks' time to file a reply to Salman's petition which prayed for quashing the proceedings in a magistrate's court in suburban Bandra. Judge Tahilyani observed, "Such a notice issued (to Salman) by the magistrate is highly questionable when the case has been committed to Sessions Court".

Salman pleaded in his petition that he had created the website only to ensure that there was no incorrect reporting by the media. The Bandra magistrate had issued notice to the actor on July 10 while hearing a complaint filed by Patil alleging contempt of court action against Salman for allegedly posting court proceedings on his website.

The complaint alleged that Salman was embroiled in legal cases including the 2002 hit-and-run case and said that by posting court matters on the website, the actor had committed contempt of court as the matters were subjudice.

Salman, however, pleaded that he had created a website only to ensure that there was no incorrect reporting by the media and that the website gave factual information about his cases and nothing beyond that. He further said that no contempt had been committed by him. The actor pleaded that the complaint and the summons issued to him may be quashed and set aside.

He said the magistrate had not applied his mind on the complaint filed against him as he did not arrive at a prima facie conclusion that a case of contempt of court had been made out.