Finally, the law has caught up with superstar Salman Khan. All those who felt his earlier acquittal by the Rajasthan High Court in the 1998 Jodhpur blackbuck and chinkara poaching cases was a travesty of justice can now breathe easy. A Jodhpur Trial Court has pronounced him guilty, thus sending out an unambiguous signal that not even a hugely famous star is above the law. For too long, an impression has been gaining ground that star power can sway court judgments. Salman did get away in a more serious charge of allegedly running over five persons, killing one. That verdict had lent further credence to the widespread belief that onscreen stars are invincible in real life too. The Jodhpur Court judgment puts things in the right perspective.

As it is, the poaching case has been dragging for nearly two decades, reinstating once more how wheels of justice move tardily. And when it is perceived to be working for the privileged, it does little to elevate the judiciary’s image. The judgment establishes that Chief Judicial Magistrate Khatri meant business and could clearly delineate between Salman the person and the star. This difference is often blurred not just by frenzied fans, but those in power too. Not too long ago, perhaps taken in by Salman’s successful run at the box office and massive fan following, he became India’s Goodwill Ambassador for Rio Olympics. CJM Khatri, however, seemed suitably unimpressed by the entertainer’s mega stardom or his Samaritan acts off the silver screen.

Salman is in the dock regarding the infamous hit-and-run case, whose verdict has already been challenged and an appeal by the Maharashtra Government admitted in the Supreme Court. Let it be said that the rule of law must prevail, and guilt must be proved beyond reasonable doubt. Let no one feel that Salman walked away scot-free or was hounded courtesy his mega-star status. Justice should not only be done but seen to be done. Star or no star, law cannot be leveraged to the advantage of a few, least of all the well-heeled.

(Tribune, India)