The Maharashtra government is unlikely to appeal against the Bombay high court order that granted bail to Bollywood actor Salman Khan on Friday.
On Wednesday, a trial court had sentenced Khan to five years rigorous imprisonment for his involvement in the 2002 hit-and-run case that claimed the life of a labourer sleeping on the pavement and injured four others.
Government pleader Sandeep Shinde told Hindustan Times that he has no instructions to appeal, and said that he could not comment on it.
But Shinde was critical about the under-preparedness of the state in trying to challenge Salman Khan's application to suspend his sentence and his application for bail.
Shinde said that when he was asked to appear for the state to thwart the actor's plea for bail on Wednesday, he had little information on what had happened at the Mumbai sessions court.
The government pleader said he had no idea about the power failure in the trial court. He said, "Salman's entire file and all the paper work at the high court took place during lunch time, and the file was ready to be produced at court. I was shown the file at 4.30pm, and asked to appear for the matter."
Shinde claimed that he did not know what the evidences were or what came up during the cross examination of witnesses. "I had not even received the certified copy of the trial court. But at 4.50pm the matter came up and it was heard," he told HT.
{{/usCountry}}Shinde claimed that he did not know what the evidences were or what came up during the cross examination of witnesses. "I had not even received the certified copy of the trial court. But at 4.50pm the matter came up and it was heard," he told HT.
{{/usCountry}}He further added, "One doesn't receive the operative part of the order without receiving the copy of the order." Shinde had even raised this point in the court before justice AM Thipsay on Friday, and questioned how the appeal could be heard without the copy of the judgment.
The government pleader also raised the point that there was a power failure for two hours after the quantum of punishment was decided. He said the defense had made an appeal that a certified copy was not made available.