Hit-and-run-case: I was driving the car, says Salman's driver in court

Salman Khan’s driver on Monday appeared in court for the first time and said he was the one behind the wheels of the SUV that crushed people sleeping on a pavement in Mumbai in 2002.

Ashok Singh testified in the court that he was driving the car on that ill-fated night and not Salman when the tyre burst and he lost control of the car.

On Friday, the 49 year-old actor had said in the court that a false statement was registered against him. He denied that he was drunk and he was not driving when the accident happened.

“Salman Khan has told the court that his driver Ashok Singh was driving the car and he had not consumed alcohol,” the actor’s lawyer had told reporters outside the court.

The actor told the court that he sat next to Singh in the SUV which he claimed had two more people.

Salman denied that he was drunk and that he drove his Toyota Land Cruiser at a high speed in the early hours of September 28, 2002. “My left door was jammed and I could not open it. So I had to get out from the driver's side,” he said.

Salman Khan is being tried for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. If found guilty, he could face up to 10 years in jail.

Salman Khan’s car had rammed into a bakery shop in suburban Bandra in the wee hours of September 28, 2002, killing one person and injuring four others who were sleeping outside on pavement.