Salman in jail, HC asks him to shell out Rs 19 lakh

The court also directed payment of Rs 1.5 lakh each to Munnu Malai Khan (29) and Kalim Akbar Pathan (25), who received simple injuries. Justice Shah told Khan’s advocate Abaad Ponda, ‘‘Your client, if he has a semblance of humanity left, will compensate the victims.’’ Ponda said Khan was very sorry over what had happened.

‘‘The moment any attempt is made to contact the victims, it would be construed as tampering with the evidence,’’ he said.

Earlier, Advocate General Goolam Vahanvati said the state, after ascertaining that Khan was driving without a licence and had consumed .062 ml of alcohol in excess of the prescribed limit, has decided to book him under Section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) from the earlier Section 304 A (causing death by negligence). The maximum punishment is 10 years imprisonment and a fine or both, while the maximum punishment under the latter is two years imprisonment or a fine, or both.

Vahanvati said there were six witnesses, including a valet of a five-star hotel who said they handed Khan the car keys and saw him drive away. Kamaal Khan, a British national and a friend of Salman who was in the car, had also confirmed that Khan was driving the vehicle when it rammed into the victims, added Vahanvati.

The matter has been adjourned to November 27 to decide the applicability of the law in rash driving cases.

The bench also said the prayer in the PIL for determining compensation on the paying ability of the wrongdoer was misconceived.