Court to fix programme of Salman Khan trial on February 25

Superstar Salman Khan is facing the the charge of running his Toyota Land Cruiser over a group of persons sleeping on a footpath outside a bakery in suburban Bandra in September 2002, killing one and injuring four others. On December 5 last year, the court had ordered a fresh trial on the ground that the witnesses had not been examined in the context of aggravated charge of culpable homicide, which was invoked against the actor midway through the proceedings. The charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder attracts a 10—year sentence.

As per sources, a sessions court on Wednesday asked the prosecution in the 2002 hit—and—run case involving actor Salman Khan to submit a final list of documents and witnesses by February 25 so that it could fix a programme of trial. Salman’s lawyer Srikant Shivade said he would file a say on the admissibility of the documents on February 25. After hearing both the sides on the documents to be admitted, the court would on February 25 frame a programme of the trial, sessions judge D W Deshpande said.

The case, dragging on for over a decade, had taken a twist earlier this year when the magistrate, after examining 17 witnesses, held that the charge of culpable homicide was made out against Salman and referred the matter to a sessions court, as cases under this offence are triable by a higher court.