Concluding its arguments in the 2002 hit-and-run case
involving superstar Salman Khan, the prosecution on Thursday told the Bombay
High Court that the five years jail term awarded by the trail court was correct
and urged the court not to show leniency towards the convicted actor.
Chief public prosecutor Sandeep Shinde reiterated that the
actor was drunk and driving the vehicle which rammed into a bakery in Bandra
killing one and injuring four others. He urged the Court to uphold the sessions
court’s verdict of five-year-sentence awarded to the convict in May.
The trial court had on May 6 held Salman guilty of culpable
homicide not amounting to murder, upholding the police's statement that he was
drunk and was driving the car when the incident took place on September 28,
2002.
Salman then appealed to the Bombay High Court against his
conviction and also sought a bail on the same day. On May 8, the High Court put
a stay on the sentence pending hearing and granted bail to the actor.
Citing the Supreme Court order in the Sanjeev Nanda
hit-and-run case, the prosecution said the accused should be convicted for the
crime to curb increasing drunken driving cases.
Salman’s counsel Amit Desai however, challenged the prosecution’s
premise saying that the “evidence” was riddled with omissions and
contradictions. Desai argued the statement of police constable Ravindra Patil, Salman’s
then bodyguard, was not considered. Also no efforts were made to secure the
presence of singer Kamal Khan who was with the actor at the time of accident.
Justice A. R. Joshi, who has been hearing the case on a
daily basis, is likely to start dictating his order once defence counsel is
done with his arguments.
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