Court to decide on Salman's plea on May 2

A sessions court in Mumbai on Tuesday reserved till May 2 its order on a plea by actor Salman Khan to drop the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder in a hit-and-run case.

Principal Judge A J Dholakia reserved the order after hearing arguments by prosecutor R V Kini and Salman's lawyer Adik Shirodkar. The court has directed the actor to remain present on May 2.

If the court drops the charge under section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Indian Penal Code then the case would be transferred to a magistrate for trying other charges framed against Salman.

However, if the court rejects Salman's plea then it would frame all the charges against the actor.

The prosecution has already submitted a list of nine charges it proposes to frame against Salman under IPC, Bombay Prohibition Act and Motor Vehicles Act for killing one person and injuring four in a hit-and-run case.

The actor's lawyer Adik Shirodkar opposed the charge under section 304 saying it was not applicable as Salman did not have knowledge that his act of rash and negligent driving would result in death of a person and cause injuries to some others.

Prosecutor R V Kini, on the other hand, argued the charge was totally justified in Salman's case because he had the knowledge about his rash and negligent driving.

He said that Salman's bodyguard Ravindra Patil had warned Salman not to drive the car rashly or else he would meet with an accident. Besides, the actor was staying in the same area where the accident occurred.

Hence, he was familiar with the topography of the area and had knowledge that people slept outside shops in that locality.

There was evidence to show that Salman was allegedly under the influence of liquor when he was driving his Toyota Land Cruiser, which met with the accident, the prosecutor said.