Citing social work, lawyers seeks milder sentence for Salman

Mumbai: Citing his social activities, defence lawyer Shrikant Shivade on Wednesday pleaded for a milder sentence for Bollywood actor Salman Khan in the 2002 hit-and-run case that killed one man.

Salman, attired in a white shirt and blue jeans, heard the court's verdict holding him guilty stoically though both his sisters, Arpita and Aliva, were in tears. He consoled them.

Pleading for a sentence of less than three years in jail with an enhanced fine, Shivade said the actor had an impressive track record of doing social work for the poor and the handicapped through his NGO Being Human, and all this would stop in his absence.

“Don’t view him as an actor… Sentence him as an ordinary citizen. He has suffered through the trial as an ordinary citizen… Do not send him to jail beyond three years,” Shivade argued, saying the actor had spent over Rs.42 crore in charities so far.

Additional Sessions Judge D.W. Deshpande, who pronounced Salman guilty, will announce the quantum of sentence post lunch on Wednesday.

Salman's lawyer also submitted medical documents to the court, saying the actor had heart and other ailments.