KARACHI: Finding him guilty of smoking in public during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match held at Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur this year, a lower court on Wednesday imposed a penalty of Rs100 on Bollywood Actor Shah Rukh Khan.
Disposing of the matter, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate S C Godara, Jaipur City, allowed Khan to deposit the fine through his counsel.
Khan, co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, was summoned by the court in May on a complaint that he was seen smoking on April 8 during a match between his team and Rajasthan Royals.
The Actor, who drew criticism for smoking in public, had pleaded guilty against a complained filed by Anand Singh, who runs a private club.
Mr Singh filed the complaint on the basis of pictures published in newspapers the next day after IPL match in which Khan was seen puffing away in public.
Smoking is banned in public places in Jaipur state. Anti-tobacco activists have been demanding that government must bring in provisions for harsher punishment, including an increased fine and imprisonment especially for habitual offenders of anti-tobacco law.
“Such a step would deter habitual offenders like filmstars who usually think they are above law and for whom the nominal fine is not a big deal,” Shekhar Salkar, General Secretary of National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), had said.
Quite interestingly, the amount of fine i.e. Rs 100 must be less than the cost of his cigarette box. Khan expressed his willingness to pay fine before the court which had also allowed him exemption from personal appearance.
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