Salman Khan at his Galaxy Apartments residence in Bandra, Mumbai.
Salman Khan did not wait for the police, went home and hid himself, observed Mumbai sessions court judge DW Deshpande in his judgement that holds the actor guilty in a 2002 hit-and-run case.
The Bombay High Court will decide today on bail for Salman Khan and on whether to admit his petition against the lower court's order. It had given him interim bail for two days on Wednesday.
One person was killed and four were injured when the actor's Toyota Land Cruiser crashed into a group of men asleep on a pavement in Mumbai's Bandra (West).
Judge Deshpande, who has sentenced Salman Khan to five years in prison for culpable homicide, said in his 240-page judgement, "The accused did not wait for police on the spot... Instead of visiting police station, the accused went to his house and till 10.30 a.m. he hided himself... If really the accused did not commit any wrong, he could have visited the police station immediately and lodged the information about the incident. (sic)"
The judge said Salman Khan did not take "any positive steps by visiting hospital to see the injured and provide medical aid to them."
He also said, "I find that it is established beyond reasonable doubt by prosecution that accused was driving the vehicle at the time of the accident." He said the actor's submission that his driver Ashok Singh was driving the car "is discarded from consideration."
Ashok Singh told the court in March that he was driving the car. In its judgement, the court has described Ashok Singh as a "got up witness who has come to help the accused on the instruction of Salim Khan, the father of the accused."
The court has held that Salman Khan, a "well known cine actor" had "knowledge that one should not drive the vehicle without license. The accused was also having knowledge that one should not drive the vehicle under consumption of the liquor that too in the late night. These are the basic rules."