File photo of Salman Khan arriving at court for hearing
The Mumbai sessions court has expressed unhappiness over the police's inability to find documents related the 2002 hit-and-run case involving actor Salman Khan. The documents include original witness statements and case diaries.
These papers are crucial as the actor is being tried for culpable homicide not amounting to murder, a charge added by a Mumbai court last year. According to the police, of the 63 original case documents, only seven can be traced after a month-long search.
The sessions court has given the prosecution time till September 12 to decide on how to proceed in the case.
"The officers involved in this should be arrested. We knew this was going to happen. We have no faith in the Mumbai Police as they are out to protect Salman Khan," lawyer and activist Abha Singh said.
Arguing that there is an attempt to hide something that is in the favour of the accused, Salman Khan's lawyers asked in court if copies had to be sent to senior officers as per practice. When the court was informed that this did not happen, Mr Khan's lawyers asked if Mumbai is different from the rest of India.
According to the police, the original papers were kept in a Magistrate's court where the trial was held since 2002 and moved around by a constable. The constable who had the custody of the papers has now died.
However, when the trial was recently shifted from Magistrate's court to sessions court after the charge of culpable homicide was added in this case, the original papers and case diaries were not traceable.
The judge also asked the then Investigating officer Kishan Shengal, who is now retired from service, to appear in person on September 12 and throw light on the missing papers.
One person was killed and four others were injured when a car allegedly driven by Salman Khan rammed into a bakery shop on September 28, 2002.
The trial in the case is being conducted afresh by the sessions court.