Popular Bollywood actor Dalip Tahil has been sentenced to two months in prison in a five-year-old hit-and-run case.
According to media reports, the 65-year-old actor was sentenced to prison on Sunday, by a magistrate's court based on the evidence provided by a doctor who had observed that there was the smell of alcohol on him and his pupils were dilated, suggesting that the actor was in an inebriated condition during the time of the accident. The doctor had then noted that the actor had “unsteady gait, dilated pupils, and incoherent speech”.
The court also ordered the actor to pay a compensation of Rs 5,000 to the injured woman.
Reacting to the judgement, the actor said, "I respect judge and decisions taken in magistrate’s court . We are challenging the entire decision and the entire verdict in the higher court. We prefer to challenge the whole decision. It was a suspended sentence and most importantly I would like to say, there were minor injuries in the incident. I did not injure anyone," reported news agency ANI.
In 2018, the actor's car rammed into an autorickshaw, injuring a woman passenger. The actor was arrested then and granted bail.
Tahil had tried to flee the spot after the accident but was prevented due to the traffic congestion caused by the Ganesh Visarjan processions. According to a Times of India report, when the actor was confronted by the passengers in the autorickshaw, an argument and physical altercation ensued, following which police were called. The actor was apprehended then.
Tahil , popular for his roles in Bollywood movies like Baazigar, Hum hai rahi pyar ke, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, and Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai among others, had refused to give his blood at the time of the accident.