Salman Khan’s hit and run case: Judge didn’t believe the tyre burst story
8 May 2015 10:27 AM GMT
The order copy mentions actor Salman Khan’s conduct immediately after the accident
The order copy mentions actor Salman Khan's conduct immediately after the accident. Photo: Viral Bhayani
Mumbai: Sessions judge D.W. Deshpande, who convicted actor Salman Khan in the 2002 hit-and-run case, explained why he did not accept Ashok Singh’s claim that he, and not the actor, was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident. “Mr Singh is a got up witness who has come to help the accused on the instruction of Salim Khan, the father of the accused,” said judge Deshpande in his 240-page-long judgment.
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“After 13 years, for the first time under section 313 of the CrPC, the accused has stated that initially Altaf and thereafter Mr Singh were driving the vehicle,” he said, adding that close to 27 witnesses had been examined before Mr Singh, but the accused never suggested to any of them that Mr Singh was driving the car. The judge also did not believe a tyre burst had caused the mishap.
“It is also pertinent to note that if the vehicle was in slow speed as argued by Mr Shivade (defence), the vehicle could have been stopped by applying brakes and it could not have skidded due to ABS system. What happened in our case is that the vehicle left the road and went on the footpath, ran over persons sleeping on the footpath and climbed two to three stairs of American Express. It means that the vehicle was in speed, however, after running over bakery persons and climbing the stairs, the speed of the vehicle would naturally be impacted,” he observed.
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Judge Deshpande noted that the vehicle, after running over Nurullah (deceased) and other labourers, climbed two to three stairs of American Express and rammed the shutter. In the process, it might have slowed down and the possibility of not deploying air bags could not be ruled out.
Speaking about Khan’s conduct after the accident, he said, “If the accused really committed no wrong, he could have visited the police immediately and lodged information about the incident. It is pertinent to note that the accused did not take any positive steps by visiting the hospital to see the injured and provide medical aid to them and to come to the spot again with the police.”
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