Salman stayed mostly stoic in chaotic court

It was only after the judge left courtroom 43 that Salman turned to face his sister and lawyers and broke down.

Thursday was an emotional day for Salman Khan and his family members, who were at the Bombay High court when justice AR Joshi delivered his verdict in the 2002 hit-and-run case. As the court pronounced its verdict, Salman’s sister Alvira and his manager Reshma, who have been attending the hearings on his appeal every day since July, broke down and hugged each other.

Actor Salman Khan exiting the Bombay high court after being acquitted in the hit-and-run case on Thursday. (Bhushan Koyande)

Salman, dressed in a blue and white checked shirt and blue Jeans, was expressionless as the judge pronounced him not guilty.

It was only after the judge left courtroom 43 that Salman turned to face his sister and lawyers and broke down.

He regained his composure within seconds though and, flanked by his bodyguard Shera, his brother-in-law Aayush and his legal team, receded into a corner on the left of the judge’s dais to wait for his lawyers to complete the formalities.

While Salman remained stoic, there was pandemonium in the courtroom. While people had begun thronging the courtroom well before the court began its session, there was chaos when justice Joshi ordered Salman to remain present in court for the pronouncement of his verdict. The news spread quickly around the court and lawyers and court employees, including the cleaning and the canteen staff, rushed inside the courtroom to catch a glimpse of the actor.

Many tried to take pictures and record videos of Salman, in violation of court rules. This prompted the police to try – and fail – to usher everyone out. The police were eventually forced to block all doors to the courtroom before the verdict was pronounced for over an hour.

Salman, however, seemed oblivious to all the chaos. He maintained a poker face as he stood for two-and-a-half hours while the court pronounced its verdict and his lawyers completed the formalities of his surety bond. Almost about two hours after the verdict, when the crowd had thinned a bit, Salman turned to the onlookers and smiled.

The actor finally left the courtroom around 4.15 pm. He was ushered out by the police and his bodyguard through a private exit meant for judges, while he Alvira and Aayush used a different exit.