New judge to hear Salman's case; matter deferred to Sep 5

A new judge was assigned to conduct the hit-and-run trial involving actor Salman Khan who is charged with the offence of culpable homicide for causing death of one person and injuries to four others by rash and negligent driving in 2002.

The case was transferred to the court of Sessions Judge D W Deshpande who on Monday adjourned the hearing to September 5.

The judge said that the papers had reached his court two days ago and the prosecutor had yet to be appointed.

Accordingly, Judge Deshpande fixed the matter for hearing on September 5 when he would decide the applications of intervenors before going ahead with the trial.

Salman did not appear in the court today as he had been exempted from personal appearance for two months on his plea that he had to go abroad for film shooting.

On July 24, another Judge U B Hejib had framed charges against the actor for culpable homicide not amounting to murder for which he may face a jail term up to 10 years.

Apart from section 304(2) (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), the Bollywood actor was also charged under sections 279 (causing death by negligence), 337 (causing hurt by an act), 338 (causing grievous hurt), 427 (causing damage or mischief to property) of IPC, and provisions of Motor Vehicles Act and Bombay Prohibition Act.

The actor, however, had pleaded not guilty to all these charges.

One person was killed and four others were injured when the Land Cruiser, allegedly driven by Salman Khan, ran over a group of people sleeping on the pavement outside a bakery in suburban Bandra on September 28, 2002.

The Sessions Court had on June 24 upheld a magistrate's order that the offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder was made out against the 47-year-old actor and dismissed his appeal against the verdict.

The actor had earlier been tried by a magistrate for a lesser offence of causing death by negligence (Section 304 A of IPC), which provides for a maximum sentence of two years.

He will now stand trial under a law pertaining to culpable homicide that could attract a jail term up to ten years.