In 2002, Salman Khan's Toyota Land Cruiser had crashed into five men sleeping outside a bakery in Bandra.
New Delhi:
The Maharashtra government has moved Supreme Court against actor Salman Khan's acquittal in a 2002 hit-and-run case by the Bombay High Court in December.
"The Bombay High Court has erred in not appreciating the prosecution evidence. The trial court's order convicting Salman Khan was correct and should be upheld," Sandeep Shinde, the public prosecutor who has been associated with the case, said about the contents of the special leave petition (SLP) filed by the state government.
In May, a trial court had held Mr Khan guilty of killing a man with his SUV after a night out drinking on September 28, 2002. The actor's Toyota Land Cruiser had crashed into five men sleeping outside a bakery in Bandra.
The High Court overturned that order on December 10, acquitting the 49-year-old actor of all charges and cancelling his five-year jail sentence. The court held that the prosecution had failed to establish beyond doubt that Mr Khan was driving and was drunk at the time of the accident. It discredited the testimony of a key prosecution witness - the actor's bodyguard Ravindra Patil - who had said that the Mr Khan was driving drunk and had ignored his repeated warnings. Mr Patil died of tuberculosis in 2007.
Salman Khan, who had rushed out of a film shooting to be present in court for the verdict, broke down and was seen wiping tears after the verdict was announced.
"The Bombay High Court has erred in not appreciating the prosecution evidence. The trial court's order convicting Salman Khan was correct and should be upheld," Sandeep Shinde, the public prosecutor who has been associated with the case, said about the contents of the special leave petition (SLP) filed by the state government.
In May, a trial court had held Mr Khan guilty of killing a man with his SUV after a night out drinking on September 28, 2002. The actor's Toyota Land Cruiser had crashed into five men sleeping outside a bakery in Bandra.
The High Court overturned that order on December 10, acquitting the 49-year-old actor of all charges and cancelling his five-year jail sentence. The court held that the prosecution had failed to establish beyond doubt that Mr Khan was driving and was drunk at the time of the accident. It discredited the testimony of a key prosecution witness - the actor's bodyguard Ravindra Patil - who had said that the Mr Khan was driving drunk and had ignored his repeated warnings. Mr Patil died of tuberculosis in 2007.
Salman Khan, who had rushed out of a film shooting to be present in court for the verdict, broke down and was seen wiping tears after the verdict was announced.
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