Accused In Salman Khan Shooting Inspired By Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, Seeks Bail

One of the shooters involved in the April incident outside Bollywood star Salman Khan's Mumbai residence has sought bail, citing financial distress as his motive. Vickykumar Gupta claimed he was influenced by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi's "principles" and denied Bishnoi's involvement in the shooting.

Gupta asserted that Lawrence Bishnoi had no role in the shooting, which aimed to intimidate Khan over the alleged killing of two blackbucks 26 years ago. He stated that Bishnoi was wrongly implicated by Mumbai police. The police chargesheet named Lawrence Bishnoi, his brother Anmol Bishnoi, and gang member Rohit Godhara as 'wanted accused' in the case.

On April 14, Gupta and Sagar Pal allegedly fired shots outside Khan's Galaxy Apartment in Bandra before fleeing. They were later apprehended in Gujarat. The police attributed the shooting to Lawrence Bishnoi's gang.

Gupta's lawyers, Amit Mishra, Sunil Mishra, and Pankaj Ghildiyal, filed a bail application under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) on Monday. Special judge BD Shelke requested a response from the prosecution and scheduled arguments for August 13. The bail plea mentioned Gupta's admiration for Lawrence Bishnoi's character portrayed in various media and his attachment to Bishnoi's principles.

The plea highlighted Gupta's poor background from a remote village in Bihar and his financial debt as reasons for committing the crime. It stated that the shooting intended to scare Khan regarding the blackbuck killings in 1998, for which Khan did not apologize.

Legal Proceedings

A court in Rajasthan had convicted Salman Khan in the blackbuck poaching case but he was later acquitted by the High Court. Gupta told the special court that he had no communication with Lawrence Bishnoi or any intermediaries regarding the firing incident.

"Lawrence Bishoni is getting entangled by the prosecution for reasons best known to them," stated Gupta's bail plea. After spending over three months in jail, Gupta argued that he does not pose a threat to public safety and sought bail.

The case continues to unfold with further legal proceedings expected on August 13 when arguments will be heard regarding Gupta’s bail application.