MUMBAI: A sessions court, on Thursday, reserved order on Salman Khan’s plea addressed towards the media for unbiased and fair proceedings of his 2002 hit-and-run case.

One person was killed and four others injured by a car that was allegedly driven by Salman Khan on the night of 28 September, 2002. Salman Khan was allegedly in a drunk state.

Public prosecutor Abha Singh said, “They (Salman Khan’s lawyers) felt the media has been twisting the events which may lead to Salman not getting justice and project Salman in a wrong light. So they came very hard on the media and they want media to be curtailed. However we put forward the point that this would be intervening with the freedom of speech and expression.”

Abha Singh also urged for speedy justice in the case as it has been going on for ten years now. While Salman Khan was initially charged with culpable homicide, a challenge in court got the charges reduced to causing death by negligence.

“Initially the case started with the local standee of the intervener. Salman Khan’s lawyers wanted that the intervening application should be removed because in criminal law they were not ready to have a third party. So accordingly, we put facts before the court that is why we are required because only after we raised the issue of false evidence in Bandra court, the case took speed otherwise 10 years have been delayed and hit and run case is still going on,” she said.

The sessions court has set a date of 24 September as the date for passing judgment on the plea.