On Thursday, 30 March, the Bombay High Court dismissed a private complaint filed against actor Salman Khan and his bodyguard Nawaz Shaikh for alleged criminal intimidation. The complaint was filed by journalist Ashok Pandey in 2019.
As per a report by Live Law, Khan was previously summoned by a metropolitan court in Andheri, which was later challenged in the High Court.
In continuation of the Live Law report, Justice Bharati Dangre questioned the complainant on 30 March and asked, "Before the process was issued, was the procedure followed? You claim force was used, but for what?"
In his private complaint filed in April 2019, Pandey alleged that he, along with a cameraperson, was trying to film Khan while he was cycling on the streets of Mumbai. He claimed that though he had the actor's bodyguard's permission to do so, he was manhandled and his phone was snatched away after Khan objected to the shooting.
Pandey also accused the DN Nagar Police of not filing his complaint, following which he filed a private complaint before the magistrate against the actor and his bodyguard, seeking criminal action.
According to Live Law, the court proceedings began in April 2022. The Magistrate had ordered a police investigation under Section 202 of the CrPC and issued process and summons under Section 204 of the CrPC.
As per the Live Law report, Justice Revati Mohite Dere had earlier stayed the summons, citing improvements in Pandey's statement. She further mentioned that being a journalist, Pandey would not have remained silent and would have mentioned his allegations in his initial complaint.
Before Justice Dangre, senior advocate Aabad Ponda also argued that Khan had only asked Shaikh to stop Pandey from taking his photos.
Meanwhile, on the work front, Khan has two upcoming projects in the pipeline. The actor will be next seen in Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Jaan and Yash Raj Films' Tiger 3, co-starring Katrina Kaif.
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