New Delhi: The trial of actor Salman Khan for the 2002 hit and run case is again witnessing a new twist as an activist has raised the question as to why actor Kamaal Khan, who was present in the car, has not been examined as prime witness.
Advocate Abha Singh, who represented an activist who has alleged "perjury by the police'' in the case, also wondered why such an "important eye witness'' Khan was left out completely.
"His name was present in the original list of witnesses. But then the prosecution dropped it. Why was it done? Why was Kamaal Khan not called to the court?" asked advocate Singh was quoted as saying by TOI. The court said the prosecution had decided not to produce him as a witness.
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"He had given a statement to the police on 4th October 2002 that Salman was driving the car. Thereafter, he did not appear before the court. A non-bailable warrant was thus issued against him, after whom he promised to depose before the court whenever summoned," she said.
In 2003, she said Kamal was number 47 on the list of 64 witnesses. The prosecution does not have to examine all witnesses and it chose to drop 37 of them, including Kamal Khan who advocate Singh now says ought to have been a prime witness.
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Judge D W Deshpande said he would pass a judgment on the perjury claim on May 6 too before the verdict in the main 13-year-old case when the actor will need to remain present in court.
In the early hours of September 28, 2002, Khan's white Toyota Land Cruiser rammed into the American Express Bakery in suburban Bandra, close to his sea-front home in Galaxy Apartments, before fleeing from the accident site, leaving one person dead and four injured.