Justice Nikhil Kariel of the Gujarat high court on February 17, hearing Shah Rukh Khan’s petition on charges slapped against him for a stampede caused at the Baroda railway station where the star passed through in 2017 during the promotion of his Raees, said that he would ask SRK to send an apology letter to the complainant. The judge jokingly speculated on the type of chaos which would ensue if a Baroda court were to conduct a trial against the star. He made it clear that he was making the comment in a lighter vein, referring to the chaos that took place at the station five years ago due to the presence of Shah Rukh Khan in a Delhi-bound train which had halted at Baroda station. He asked the complainant to imagine what chaos would be created if the trial had to take place in a Baroda court, as demanded by him.
One person had died and two cops had fainted following the stampede on January 23, 2017. The complaint was filed by local Congressman Jitendra Solanki, following which the police filed a report against the actor, and the court took cognisance of it. IPC sections were invoked against Shah Rukh.
The advocate for the complainant said that SRK’s behaviour was irresponsible when he threw T-shirts and balls to the crowd and thereby caused chaos.
Shah Rukh approached the court for quashing of the FIR when he was issued summons by the court. The high court in July 2017 stayed the trial.
Shah Rukh’s advocate told the court that the man who had died had cardiac issues and his family had admitted to it. The advocate further argued that only section 336 of the IPC was applicable in the case, in which the punishment was up to three months in jail or Rs. 250 fine or both.
The high court posted the matter for further hearing on February 24.