Salman Khan hit-and-run case: Fourth witness identifies actor

Zee Media Bureau Mumbai: Salman Khan has courted more trouble after the fourth witness in the 2002 hit-and-run case has identified the actor. According to the witness, Khan was drunk on the night of the incident. The fourth witness who happens to be a bar waiter said in the court that Salman had come along with his friends in a group to have drinks in a five-star hotel on the same night, hours before Khan ran over his car over people sleeping on footpath in suburban Bandra, 12 years ago. The waiter, Molay Baug, told Judge D W Deshpande he had served cocktails and Bacardi (White Rum) to the group who had come along with Salman to 'Zen Bar' in J W Marriot hotel, but could not remember whether the actor had consumed drinks. Public prosecutor Jagannath Kenjralkar examined the witness to show the court that the actor had consumed drinks before meeting with an accident on the ill-fated day. "The lights were dim and it was dark and hence I could not see who had consumed liquor...All that I remember is that I had served drinks to this group which had come with Salman, the waiter told defence lawyer Srikant Shivade during cross-examination. Earlier in the day, eyewitnesses were to depose at a Mumbai sessions court in relation to Salman Khan`s 2002 hit-and-run case. The Bollywood actor’s car had run over a group of people sleeping on a pavement in Bandra, killing one person and injuring four others in the accident, twelve years ago. Three eyewitnesses had testified before the court and identified the actor, earlier this month. The 48-year-old actor was seen by these two witnesses getting out of his car on that fateful day, said reports. One of the witnesses, who deposed earlier this month had lodged a complaint claiming that he had received a threatening call a few days back, reports added. During the deposing process last week, a witness named Samba Gowda, said he had drawn panchnama of the articles seized by police on the day of the incident on September 28, 2002. The witness told prosecutor Jagannath Kenjalkar that a big car was involved in the accident and that police had reached the spot along with him. He further said the car had rammed into a laundry and its bumper had hit the shutter of the shop. The witness said he saw glass pieces, number plate of the car and bumper parts lying on the spot. These articles were seized by police and a panchnama was drawn by him. On March 26, three witnesses failed to turn up as they were either not available or untraceable making this the second occasion when the fresh trial has not begun in the case. The Bollywood superstar faces the charges of running over his Toyota Land Cruiser on people sleeping on a footpath outside a bakery in suburban Bandra on September 28, 2002, killing one and injuring four others. (With agency inputs)