Salman Khan firing case: Bombay High Court find nothing amiss in death of accused in custody

The incident had occurred on April 14, when two motorcycle-borne individuals opened fire outside Salman Khan's home in the Bandra area.

The Bombay High Court on Friday addressed the death of Anuj Thapan, an accused in the case involving a firing incident outside actor Salman Khan's residence. Thapan allegedly died by suicide in police custody on May 1 this year, with his body found hanging in the toilet of the crime branch lock-up.

The incident had occurred on April 14, when two motorcycle-borne individuals opened fire outside Salman Khan's home in the Bandra area. Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal were arrested soon after in Gujarat, and Thapan was apprehended on April 26 in Punjab.

Thapan's mother, Rita Devi, had approached the High Court, claiming foul play and alleging that her son was physically tortured and killed while in police custody. She requested the court to direct a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into his death.

However, after reviewing the report from the magistrate who had conducted an inquiry into the incident, the division bench of Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Prithviraj Chavan stated that there appeared to be no indication of custodial death. They noted that the police had no apparent reason to harm Thapan, as he could have been of assistance in the investigation.

The court recognized Rita Devi's distress and stated that while her disbelief was understandable, it was challenging to ascertain the factors that might lead someone to take their own life.

Justice Dere said, "Nobody knows any person that well. What transpires in a person’s mind at that time, nobody can tell. That’s why suicides happen."

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The bench stated that it was difficult to understand why the police would harm an 18-year-old, noting that Thapan could have been a valuable asset to their investigation and might have even been made an approver. The court scheduled the next hearing for January 24 and directed Devi’s lawyer to review the magistrate’s report in the meantime.

After reviewing the report, the bench commented that there appeared to be nothing unusual about Thapan's death. The court also referenced CCTV footage that showed Thapan pacing restlessly in his cell before entering the toilet alone. It was noted that the footage did not show anyone following him, which suggested that the possibility of someone going after him was ruled out. Justice Chavan further stated that if Thapan had been killed, there would likely have been signs of a struggle, but there were none.

(With inputs from PTI)