Mumbai: A sessions court judge of Deshpande announces the date of the judgment in the case infamous 2002 hit-and-run involving Bollywood superstar Salman Khan today.
A trial court said Saturday April 20 would set the date of delivery of the judgment in the 13-year-old case hit-and-run in which Khan is a defendant.
“Concluding his argument on April 20 and no longer would either for defense or the prosecution to make submissions,” said the judge.
The prosecution has argued his case.
In total, 27 witnesses were examined by the prosecution, while the defense examined only one witness – Ashok Singh Khan driver.
The 49-year-old actor is accused of crashing his Toyota Land Cruiser in a bakery in suburban Bandra on September 28, 2002, killing one person and wounding four others.
He has been charged with “culpable homicide not amounting to murder ‘which attracts ten years imprisonment.
The sessions court is conducting a new trial. Earlier, the magistrate’s court was trying Khan for the lesser charge of reckless and negligent driving, which attracts two years in prison.
However, halfway through the trial, the judge considered that the accusation of “culpable homicide not amounting to murder ‘should be added, and referred the case to the court of sessions in which the offense is triable by a lower court.
The lawyer Shrikant actor Salman Khan on April 18 Shivade driver described the actor Ashok Singh, who owned responsibility for the accident 2002, as “more accurate and natural witness” in the case.
The defense attorney said Ashok Singh’s testimony shows Salman did not flee the scene on September 28, 2002, which left one dead and four others wounded outside a bakery in Bandra.
“He is the most accurate and natural testimony. In fact, he has supported what the prosecution has been saying and during interrogation, the core of his testimony was not questioned,” Shivade argued before Sessions Additional Judge DW Deshpande in the final arguments ongoing retrial of high-profile case involving Salman.
Mr. Shivade noted how Ashok Singh had declared a mob of about 50-100 people, some of them armed with sticks and gathered there after the accident stones, when Salman, his bodyguard Ravindra Patil, singer Kamaal Khan were present.
“What Singh is saying is correct, truthful … actaully had four people in the vehicle and Singh was driving” Shivade said, adding that the accident occurred due to a burst tire and no negligence by the driver .
Stop at why it took 13 years to Ashok Singh confess, sir Shivade said he got the opportunity only now – as a defense witness may be examined only after the prosecution completes its case – and Singh gave his statement at the outset appropriate.
He said the Khan family had three drivers – Ashok Singh, Datta and Altaf – and Ashok Singh felt particularly bad that Salman had to find problems, especially when he (Salman) leads to court.
Mr. Shivade also argued that during the examination in chief and cross-examination, Singh had said that had marked No.100 policing and then went to the police station in Bandra
“There, he was made to sit on the bench and kept waiting… He was interrogated, but his statement was not recorded. Why? The next day Salman was booked for the offence and released on bail,” he pointed out.
The defence lawyer urged Judge Deshpande to discard the evidence of Patil, who had lodged the first complaint in the case, and later passed away due to natural causes during the pendency of the trial.
