The reactions to film actor Salman Khan found guilty in a 13-year-old hit-and-run case and sentenced to five years in jail have been predictable. The film fraternity has expressed 'shock' over the judgement. Some have expressed sympathies. Even some of the TV news channels have dramatised the entire court proceedings almost giving the impression that the judgement is harsh.
The 'Dream Girl' of Bollywood and BJP MP from Mathura Hema Malini said that her sympathies are with Salman Khan. She hastily added that judgement has to be respected too.
Many other cine celebrities who are unaware of the criminal justice system in India, which says all are equal and the sentencing will also be equal, are behaving like Salman Khan is a poor fellow who has been punished for no fault of his. Fortunately, nobody has attacked the judge or the judiciary because of the fear of contempt proceedings.
Shocking, very few people are openly hailing the judgement and expressing sympathies with the pavement dwellers who died and injured due to Salman Khan's drunken driving.
While the film fraternity as expected closed ranks to express sympathy for one of their own, their is not a single word about Nurullah Mehboob Sharif, the man who was killed in the accident, and his family which is still struggling to lead a decent life. Even the injured Kalim Mohammed Pathan, Munna Malai Khan, Abdullah Rauf Shaikh and Muslim Shaikh have been completely missing from the discourse.
Even with all the shortcomings, our judiciary has time and again proved that it will not spare anybody. The same judiciary has sent another big film star Sanjay Dutt to jail in the Mumbai bomb blast case of 1993. The same judiciary has sent mighty people like AIADMK supremo J Jayalalithaa, business tycoons Subrato Roy Sahara and Ramalinga Raju, self-confessed godman Aasaram, the powerful Haryana politician family Chautalas and many others in various other cases across India.
Instead of shedding tears for Salman Khan's plight, the so-called educated society must hail the judgement and express sympathies with the poor victims of Salman Khan's rash driving.
Salman Khan seems to have realised that he is also a human being after the judge Deshapande declared him guilty of all charges. With tears in his eyes and folded hands, he requested Additional Sessions judge DW Deshpande to sentence him as an ordinary citizen and not as a super film star.
Only when they are down and faced with the harsh realities of life, our rich, famous and the mighty come down to earth and start behaving like commoners. Once again thanks to our judiciary.
These things are not just India specific phenomenon. Even in the West, the so-called educated and the rich people do similar things.
The biggest lesson from Salman Khan case is - the judiciary has once again proved that it is above everything and will not spare anybody, even if you are Salman Khan.
That's the spirit of our Constitution and the law. We should not be guided by misplaced sympathy, whoever may be the guilty.
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