Appearing before a bench of Justices J S Khehar and C Nagappan, the AG said the high court order was “more than perverse and improper” as it discarded statements of eyewitnesses as well as that of Salman’s police bodyguard, who had deposed that the actor was at the wheel at the time of the accident.
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Referring to sequence of events and testimonies of some of the witnesses, Rohatgi said that besides Khan, his singer friend Kamaal Khan and a constable was inside the vehicle and there are statements which amply suggest that the actor was driving. The AG said that the alcohol level in Salman’s blood was found to be double than the normal level when he was tested 12 hours after the accident.
The bench said for the time being it will not issue notice and since “it is a matter of appeal against acquittal, it would like to hear the state further on the issue of what various witnesses said on who drove the Land Cruiser and if material prosecution witnesses had been dropped”.
Nailing Salman on another count – of driving the auto without driving licence, Rohatgi told the court that in 2002 when the accident took place, the actor did not have a driving licence for which he applied to the RTO in 2004.
Rohatgi said SC how suddenly 13 years after the trail, the driver, an employee of Khan’s family for 20 years surfaced and claimed that he was behind the wheels.
“The high court has ignored the statement given by Patil before the magistrate, but accepted the defence argument that Ashok Brahm Dev Singh was driving the vehicle”.
Supreme Court will hear the plea filed by Maharashtra government pertaining to the hit-and-run case on February 5.
On May 6, 2015 a sessions court had convicted Salman in the case in which one person was killed and four others were injured when his vehicle had crushed them when they were asleep on a pavement outside a laundry.
Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had announced that his government would challenge the High Court’s verdict on its merits. “Salman escaped from the spot”, he said. Also, see the conduct of the accused.
Rohatgi added that he would be able to convince the bench on February 12, the next date of hearing, that this appeal deserves to be admitted.
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There seems to be no end in Bollywood superstar Salman Khan’s woes related to the infamous 2002 hit-and-run case. Daarul-Ifta-Manjar-e-Islam, the Muslim organisation, said unless the actor read the Kalmas all over again, he would not be considered a Muslim.
