Crowds gather in court, actor manages to remain calm

The premises of the city civil and sessions court in Fort was unusually crowded on Friday morning as people stopped by court number 17 to catch a glimpse of Bollywood actor John Abraham. Charul Shah reports.

The premises of the city civil and sessions court in Fort was unusually crowded on Friday morning as people stopped by court number 17 to catch a glimpse of Bollywood actor John Abraham.

HT Image

Dressed in a blue check shirt and blue jeans, the 39-year-old actor was present in the courtroom for the verdict in a case where he was charged with rash and negligent driving, which injured two persons.

In April 2006, Abraham allegedly crashed into two youngsters on a bicycle while he was on his bike.

The actor’s anxiety was palpable, as he sat quietly and watched the courtroom proceedings.

The proceedings, which lasted for two hours, finally ended at 1pm, with Judge NV Navkar upholding the magistrate court’s order that had convicted Abraham to 15 days of imprisonment and fine.

Though the verdict was not in his favour, apart from the stress lines on his forehead, the actor remained expressionless.

After the verdict, Abraham was taken into court custody as his advocate Abad Ponda sought for time. The team then left to move the Bombay high court.

The high court suspended his prison term and granted him bail, and Abraham was released from custody by 7.30 pm.

Speaking to reporters outside the court, Abraham said: “I have faith in the judiciary. The matter is sub-judice so I don’t want to talk.”

Sanjay Gupta, film-maker and producer of Shootout at Wadala, in which the actor plays an important character, was also present in court in the evening.