The Mumbai Sessions Court has denied bail to Vicky Gupta, one of the accused shooters involved in the firing outside Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s residence in April 2024. Special judge BD Shelke rejected Gupta’s bail plea on Friday, though the detailed order has yet to be released.
Gupta, through his lawyer Amit Mishra, had filed the bail plea in August, claiming he was influenced by jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s persona, and was “magnetically attached to the principles followed by Lawrence Bishnoi, as Bishnoi was an ardent follower of Bhagat Singh.” The plea argued that Gupta had no direct contact with Bishnoi and was wrongfully implicated in the case.
However, Mumbai police opposed the bail, asserting that Gupta and his accomplice, Sagar Pal, intended to kill Khan. The two were allegedly riding a motorcycle near Khan’s residence, Galaxy Apartments, in Bandra and directly participated in the shooting with the intent to kill.
The prosecution further claimed that if granted bail, Gupta could inform Lawrence Bishnoi, the alleged mastermind behind the shooting, about the investigation, potentially leading to the destruction of key evidence.
Police alleged that Gupta had purchased the motorcycle used in the crime under Lawrence Bishnoi’s direction and communicated with his absconding brother, Anmol Bishnoi, via the Signal app before the shooting, which occurred in the early hours of April 14, 2024.
In addition to Gupta and Pal, other individuals in judicial custody for the incident include Sonukumar Bishnoi, Mohd Rafiq Choudhary, and Harpal Singh. One accused, Anujkumar Thapan, reportedly committed suicide in custody, while Lawrence and Anmol Bishnoi have been listed as wanted accused in the chargesheet filed by Mumbai police.
