Jaipur:
Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan, chargedwith smoking in public during an IPL match,yesterday escaped witha paltry fine of Rs 100, less than the cost of his cigarettebox, after having pleaded guilty before a court here.
Disposing of the matter, Additional Chief JudicialMagistrate S C Godara, Jaipur City, allowed Mr Khan to depositthe fine through his counsel.
Mr Khan, co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, was summoned bythe court in May on a complaint that he was seen smoking onApril 8 during a match between his team and Rajasthan Royalsat Sawi Man Singh Stadium.
The actor, who drew flak for smoking in public, hadpleaded guilty and expressed his willingness to pay finebefore the court which had also allowed him exemption frompersonal appearance.
The matter came up before the court on a complaint filedby Anand Singh, who runs the Jaipur Cricket Academy, a privateclub.
He had sought action against Mr Khan under section 5 readwith 11 of Rajasthan Prohibition of Smoking Act, 2000, whichprohibits smoking at a public places.
Mr Singh filed the complaint on April 9 on the basis ofpictures published in newspapers the next day after IPL matchin which SRK was seen puffing away in public.
Anti-tobacco activists have been demanding that governmentbring in provisions for harsher punishment, including a bigfine and imprisonment especially for habitual offenders ofanti-tobacco law.
"Such a step would deter habitual offenders like filmstarswho usually think they are above law and for whom the nominalfine is not a big deal," Shekhar Salkar, General Secretary ofNational Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), hadsaid.
Disposing of the matter, Additional Chief JudicialMagistrate S C Godara, Jaipur City, allowed Mr Khan to depositthe fine through his counsel.
Mr Khan, co-owner of Kolkata Knight Riders, was summoned bythe court in May on a complaint that he was seen smoking onApril 8 during a match between his team and Rajasthan Royalsat Sawi Man Singh Stadium.
The actor, who drew flak for smoking in public, hadpleaded guilty and expressed his willingness to pay finebefore the court which had also allowed him exemption frompersonal appearance.
The matter came up before the court on a complaint filedby Anand Singh, who runs the Jaipur Cricket Academy, a privateclub.
He had sought action against Mr Khan under section 5 readwith 11 of Rajasthan Prohibition of Smoking Act, 2000, whichprohibits smoking at a public places.
Mr Singh filed the complaint on April 9 on the basis ofpictures published in newspapers the next day after IPL matchin which SRK was seen puffing away in public.
Anti-tobacco activists have been demanding that governmentbring in provisions for harsher punishment, including a bigfine and imprisonment especially for habitual offenders ofanti-tobacco law.
"Such a step would deter habitual offenders like filmstarswho usually think they are above law and for whom the nominalfine is not a big deal," Shekhar Salkar, General Secretary ofNational Organisation for Tobacco Eradication (NOTE), hadsaid.
