Prosecution to rely on guard's statement in Salman case

In a crucial development in the 2002 hit-and-run case involving Salman Khan, the Mumbai sessions court on Saturday allowed the prosecution to rely on the statement of Ravindra Patil, the late police bodyguard who was assigned to the Bollywood actor. 

Before his death, Patil had stated before the Bandra magistrate court that he had warned Salman not to drive fast as he was under the influence of alcohol on the day of the accident. He had added that the actor did not pay heed to his advice.

The case is now being retried before the Mumbai sessions court. 

Special Public Prosecutor Pradeep Gharat had pleaded that the court rely on the evidence of Patil, which had been opposed by Khan’s defence lawyer Shrikant Shivade.

Additional Sessions Judge D W Deshpande, who is conducting the retrial, allowed the prosecution to rely on the statement of Patil during the course of the submission of evidence. 

Judge Deshpande also gave Khan the opportunity to cross-examine the investigation officer in context of the evidence submitted by Patil and to clarify his own stand on it in the concluding defence argument. 

The value of Patil’s evidence would be decided only later and not at this stage, the court said. Patil, a police constable, died of tubercolosis on October 3, 2007 in the midst of the earlier trial before the magistrate. Shivade, had opposed the application filed by Gharat, saying that it would cause prejudice to his client. 

Meanwhile, Patil's brother, also a police constable, deposed in the trial court, and informed that Patil died on October 3, 2007. The prosecution examined him to bring on record the fact that Patil is dead.

The court asked the investigation officers to depose on March 12 and 13 on the evidence recorded by them.