Shah Rukh Khan cleared of criminal proceedings by Gujarat High Court

On Wednesday, the Gujarat High Court dismissed a criminal complaint filed against Shah Rukh Khan in 2017 in connection with a stampede at the Vadodara railway station during a train voyage to promote the film Raees.

Justice Nikhil Kariel granted Khan’s request to drop the criminal proceedings against him as well as the summons issued by a Vadodara court. Khan had petitioned the Supreme Court after a lower court summoned him under Section 204 of the CrPC (for securing the attendance of the accused).

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A complaint was filed after a man suffered a cardiac arrest at the Vadodara train station during the Raees promotional event for allegedly engaging in acts endangering the life or personal safety of others.

He was taken to the hospital, where doctors declared him dead following an examination.

After it was ruled that there was a reasonable basis for proceedings against him under sections 336, 337, and 338 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Shah Rukh Khan was issued a summons by a court of the chief judicial magistrate in Vadodara.

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Farheed Khan Pathan, a local politician, died of a heart attack at the Vadodara railway station on January 23, 2017, following a stampede caused by fans eager to see the superstar who had arrived on a train.

After the police declined to take his complaint and record an FIR against Khan, Jitendra Solanki petitioned the Vadodara court for the initiation of criminal proceedings against him. The complainant accused Khan of ‘criminal negligence and recklessness’ by throwing gifts at his supporters, resulting in a stampede and the death of one person.

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By any stretch of the imagination, Khan’s lawyer Mihir Thakore contended that throwing smiley balls’ and t-shirts cannot be regarded as hasty or careless in terms of jeopardising human life or personal safety.

A few people were injured as a result of the incident.

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Khan’s petition to the high court was dismissed by the victim’s relative, who claimed that the actor caused a ruckus at the train station by throwing balls and t-shirts at a crowd of his fans on the platform. One of SRK’s followers died, while others were injured, as a result of his “irresponsible behaviour.”

Mihir Thakore, the actor’s lawyer, insisted that throwing smiley balls’ and t-shirts could not be considered hasty or irresponsible in terms of endangering human life or personal safety. In its conclusion, the high court noted that his complaint was brought by someone who had no direct connection to the episode in question.