MUMBAI: For Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, the legal troubles never seem to end.
Former cop-turned-lawyer and activist Y.P. Singh Friday lashed out at Mumbai Police for allegedly “helping” the Bollywood actor in the 2002 hit and run case.
Ten years ago on September 28, 2002, Salman Khan had rammed into a bakery in suburban Bandra, killing one and injuring four others sleeping on a pavement.
Singh pointed out that the trial in the case has been going on for over 10 years; there is little progress. He added it is evident that the police department was responsible for delaying things.
“In the beginning, the trial court had ordered summons to 34 witnesses, but the police did not serve summons to 24 people. Police had informed the court that some could not be traced while others did not accept the summons. Only one witness appeared before the court. Police had deliberately not taken the job of issuing summons seriously,” claimed Singh.
Singh said that it took two years for the police to present the doctor who treated the injured in that incident before the court.
“Also, Salman was absent 82 times when summoned by the court. Later, even the public prosecutor started ignoring the case,” the activist said.
Singh said that he would demand that a high level inquiry into the matter. “The commissioner of police needs to set up a high level inquiry into the matter, to show how simple summons were not be served from time to time for years together and witnesses not produced in court,” he said.
It however remains to be seen how far Singh would be able to take his cause. Salman Khan on the other hand is already still facing other legal troubles from his cloudy past. In July this year, the Rajasthan High Court has revised the charges against him in his ‘black buck’ case, making a three-year jail sentence a distinct possibility.
(With inputs from IANS)
