The next hearing in Bollywood actor Salman Khan’s infamous 2002 hit-and-run case has been adjourned till September 12, 2014. The Mumbai sessions court ordered the IO (Investigating Officer) to be present in the court related to the case, and also asked for the filing of affadavit.
Earlier in the day, it was reported that the case diary carrying statements by witnesses have gone missing, latest reports suggest.
The inevitable happened when the constable designated to take the confidential papers to court room died, and another one replaced him on the job. The latter has clarified that he does not know anything about the papers being misplaced or not.
In this unusual ‘paper-missing’ saga, the officials are not ruling out the case of foul play, to tamper with the evidence against the actor. In 2013, a fresh trial was ordered against the 48-year-old actor under ‘culpable homicide not amounting to murder’, which has a maximum 10-year imprisonment. Due to the fresh trial, the evidences and witnesses are in the process of being re-examined. So far, 11 witnesses have been examined, of which one turned hostile.
Salman is accused of driving his SUV onto a pavement in Bandra September 28, 2002, leading to the death of one person and injuries to four others. On Dec 5, 2013, a Mumbai court ordered a retrial in the case which is now underway in the sessions court.
