MUMBAI: A petition filed against Shah Rukh Khan for smoking in public during an IPL match between Rajasthan Royals and Kolkata Knight Riders on 8 April, has finally come to a conclusion this week. The actor was pronounced guilty, and a Jaipur city court asked him to pay a fine of Rs. 100! Khan’s counsel revealed that he was willing to pay the fine. Accepting this, the court even exempted the actor from personal appearance and allowed him to pay the amount through his counsel.
The petition was filed by Anand Singh, who runs the Jaipur Cricket Academy – a private club –under Section 5 read with 11 of Rajasthan Prohibition of Smoking Act, 2000, which prohibits smoking at a public places.
Shekhar Salkar, General Secretary of National Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), has been quoted as saying, “Such a step would deter habitual offenders like filmstars who usually think they are above the law and for whom the nominal fine is not a big deal.”