The Bombay High Court expressed strong dissatisfaction on Wednesday regarding the "incomplete" autopsy report of Anuj Thapan, who was arrested in connection with the shooting outside actor Salman Khan's residence and later died in police custody.

A vacation bench comprising Justices N R Borkar and Somasekhar Sundaresan reviewed the post-mortem report, noting the absence of critical details, such as a diagram of the ligature mark on Thapan's neck and information about any other injuries on his body.

The court was addressing a petition filed by Rita Devi, Thapan's mother, following his death on May 1 in the lock-up toilet of the Mumbai police's crime branch. The police claim that Thapan committed suicide, but Rita Devi, in her May 3 petition, alleged foul play and asserted that her son was killed. She requested the High Court direct the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate her son's death, alleging he was physically assaulted and tortured while in custody.

On Wednesday, additional public prosecutor Jayesh Yagnik presented a preliminary report on the state CID's inquiry into Thapan's death, along with the autopsy report. The court observed that although the report cited asphyxiation as the cause of death, it lacked essential details.

The judges questioned the absence of a diagram of the ligature mark and clarification on whether the mark was oblique or round, noting that asphyxiation could result from strangulation, not just hanging. They also pointed out the missing column that should detail other potential injuries to Thapan's body, deeming the report incomplete.

Yagnik assured the court that the investigating team would seek further information from the doctors involved. The bench ordered a copy of the report be given to the petitioner and scheduled the next hearing for June.

Senior counsel Aabad Ponda, representing Salman Khan, requested the removal of the actor's name from the plea, arguing that there were no allegations against him. Ponda emphasized that Khan was a victim of the attack and had no knowledge of the perpetrators or those arrested. He expressed concern that including Khan's name as a respondent could harm his reputation. Rita Devi's advocate acknowledged that the petitioner was not seeking any relief or action against Khan at this time, which the court noted.

The case dates back to April 14, when two bike-borne individuals fired shots outside Salman Khan's Bandra residence. Vicky Gupta and Sagar Pal were subsequently arrested in Gujarat. Thapan, along with another individual, was apprehended on April 26 in Punjab. A total of six people were arrested in the case; Thapan has since died, while four are in judicial custody, and the fifth, arrested earlier this week, remains in police custody.