The prosecution in the 2002 case of hit-and-run against actor Salman Khan said in the trial court on Tuesday that the actor did not have a drinking permit at the time of the incident.
The court is trying Khan for the graver charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in the light of the prosecution case that Khan was driving under the influence of alcohol when his vehicle rammed into a bakery shutter in Bandra (W), killing a person and injuring four. Special public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat produced documents and urged the court to take it on record.
“Investigating officer Kishan Shengal had procured the documents from the excise department, which said that the accused did not possess the permit. The court has permitted the production of the documents and will decide their evidentiary value at a later stage,” Gharat said.
Defence advocate Srikant Shivde objected to the submission of the documents and rued that these were produced before the court at a delayed stage. Shivde also sought the permission of the court to once again cross-examine another investigating officer, Rajendra Kadam, whose deposition and cross-examination was completed on Friday.
Shivde said in the court that he wanted to question Kadam with respect to certain omissions in the statement of the dead prime witness Ravindra Patil. The court is likely to decide on the plea on Tuesday.
Shivde also commenced the cross-examination of investigating officer Shengal. Replying to Shivde’s query, Shengal, the third investigating officer in the case, said that he had taken over the investigations after realizing that it was a “sensitive case”.
Shengal objected to the manner in which Shivde posed a question and asked him not to raise his voice. The cross-examination will continue on Tuesday. The retired officer is the last witness in the case.
