14 DAY TRIAL // Beloved Indian actor Salman Khan is dealt a heavy blow in his ongoing hit-and-run trial stemming from an accident that took place in a suburban region in Bandra on September 28, 2002. Three witnesses told the judge that they saw Khan getting out of the car that crashed into several people sleeping on the street killing some and injuring others.
Indian Express claims that one of the witnesses testified seeing Khan getting out of the car from the front door on the right hand side of the car, while a second said he saw him getting out from the driver's seat. The third witness said he saw the actor getting out of the vehicle but couldn't recount from which side.
The accident that took place when the Toyota Land Cruiser in which Salman Khan was at the time, crashed into a footpath near an American Express Bakery where some people were sleeping. It resulted in one death and four people getting injured.
The actor was arrested by police on the charge of rash and negligent driving in addition to other charges, one of which is that of culpable homicide that hold a 10-year prison sentence if proven true.
All of the witnesses being deposed were workers in the bakery that was hit by the car, so they were considered the best sources of first-hand information of the accident when it took place. They are named as Manu Khan, Mohammed Kalim Iqbal Pathan and Muslim Shaikh.
The prosecution in the case is trying to prove that Salman Khan was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the accident. So far, four witnesses have been interrogated in the case, and Jagannath Kenjralkar, the leading prosecution attorney, says he plans to examine another three on May 19.
For nearly a decade, the defense's lawyers have argued that the actor wasn't the one driving the car. Now, they are complaining that the witnesses have been coached by police to claim that their client was the one driving the car in hopes of receiving substantial compensation. This was vehemently denied by all the men put on the stand.
This new turn of events could spell trouble for the actor who was previously found guilty of negligent driving. This time, he is being accused of murder and could very well be sentenced to the full 10 years in jail in the case that has been dragging on for nearly as long.