2002 Hit-and-Run Case: Salman Khan was Driving Toyota Land Cruiser, Prosecution Reiterates

The prosecution in the 2002 Salman Khan accident case reiterated its stand that the Bollywood actor, and not his driver Ashok Singh, was driving the vehicle when it ran over sleeping pavement-dwellers, killing one man, in its written submissions in the ongoing final arguments.

Public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat said that Salman was the wheels of the Toyoto Land Crusider and not his driver Singh as subsequently claimed.

He also termed Singh "a dummy witness" who had lied under oath, in the written submissions of the final arguments which the prosecution conlcluded last week before Additional Sessions Judge D.W. Deshpande.

On Friday, defence counsel Shrikant Shivade commenced his side of the final arguments which will resume again from this Wednesday.

Salman, who the prosecution has contended was drunk and driving, crashed the SUV early hours of September 28, 2002, into the American Express Bakery in Bandra west, killing one pavement dweller and injuring four others.

Gharat said that witnesses have testified before the court that they had seen Salman getting off the driver's seat, but nobody had seen Singh behind the wheel.

Rejecting the defence theory of Singh's presence at the time of the accident, Gharat pointed out there were only three people inside the vehicle - Salman, his friend Kamaal Khan and police bodyguard, the late Ravindra Patil.

"Ashok Singh is a liar. I pray that action may be taken against him for perjury. He is a stooge and dummy witness," Gharat said in the 30-page written arguments submitted to the court.