Salman denies he was driving or drunk during 2002 accident

Mumbai, March 27: Bollywood actor Salman Khan on Friday told a Mumbai court, conducting the trial of the 2002 hit-and-run case involving him, that he was neither driving the vehicle at the time of the accident nor was he drunk. Khan testified before Additiol Sessions Judge D.W. Deshpande that his driver Ashok Singh was at the wheel that night. Khan’s white Toyota Land Cruiser rammed into the American Express Bakery in suburban Bandra, close to his sea-front home in Galaxy Apartments, in the early hours of September 28, 2002. One pavement dweller sleeping outside the bakery was killed and four others were injured, leading to Khan’s arrest by Bandra Police later that morning. Denying the prosecution charges that he was inebriated at the time of the accident, Khan said he had not consumed liquor on that night and claimed the evidences adduced against him in the case was “false”. Khan disputed several witness accounts, including that of his police bodyguard the late Ravindra Patil, who had said the actor was seen coming out of the driving seat. (IANS)