2002 hit-and-run case: Salman Khan harps on evidence to show he was not driving

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Shrikant Shivade, Salman’s counsel, dismissed the version given by Patil, saying his statement “does not fit the crime scene”. He said around 2.15 am, they left Marriott and the accident took place at 2.45 am, which is 30 minutes later. The defence contended that if they travelled at 90 km per hour, on empty roads without any traffic, they would have reached sooner. “If you travel at that speed at that hour, you will reach in five minutes, not 30. It is simple mathematics and nothing else,” he argued.

The defence lawyer further said the prosecution had suppressed the existence of a “fourth person” in the entire trial. Supporting his claim, Shivade referred to the statements of three witnesses, including the manager of Rain Bar, where the prosecution claims that Salman had gone for a drink.

In addition, the defence pointed to statements of the dairy shop owner near the accident site and one of the four injured persons. “The manager maintained that he had seen four persons in the car, including Salman and the other two witness, who claimed that they had seen two persons standing outside the car after the incident and two others who ran away,” Shivade argued.

The fourth person, Shivade claimed was somebody known to Patil, the complainant, but he did not reveal his name to the police. Shivade said it was Altaf, one of Salman’s three drivers, who had driven Salman and the rest from the actor’s Bandra home to Rain Bar and later to Marriot. According to Salman’s statement in the court, Altaf had called in for Ashok Singh from Marriot as he was ‘unwell’.

meghna.yelluru@expressindiacom