Mumbai: A witness in a hit-and-run case allegedly involving Salman Khan told the trial court on Thursday that he had seen the actor in the driver’s seat in a stationary car in the parking slot of a hotel in suburban Juhu on the night his vehicle mowed down five pavement dwellers. However, the witness, a former parking attendant at the hotel, said he had not seen who was sitting in the driver’s seat when the car left the hotel. He had also not seen who was driving the vehicle when the vehicle moved out.
The prosecution’s case is that Salman had come to the hotel along with his friends and had drinks before leaving the place.
The witness also testified that Salman was handed over a parking ticket after his car entered the hotel’s parking slot and the actor gave him Rs 500 note as tip.
Grilled by Salman’s lawyer Srikant Shivade, the witness disclosed that the parking ticket bears the name of the person driving the car and the vehicle number. However, Salman’s name did not figure in any parking ticket. The witness said he had given the parking ticket to the police but he was unable to say why it had not been produced in the court.
The witness also said he had seen singer Kamaal Khan sitting behind Salman. Asked in cross-examination whether Kamaal Khan was sitting on the left side or on the right side behind Salman, the
witness responded that he was on the left side. This question was asked by Salman’s lawyer to show that the actor was sitting on the left side while the driver’s seat is on the right.
Another witness, Amin Shaikh, who was sleeping outside a bakery where the actor’s car allegedly met with the accident, said he had heard people shouting, “Salman bahar Aa jao,” but he did not see the actor in the car. He only saw Salman’s bodyguard, who was standing near the door of the car, being assaulted by the pavement dwellers.
Salman had come to the court on Thursday and was sitting in the dock during the trial which has been adjourned to November 5.
