Salman Khan denies being behind the wheel in hit-and-run case

In the wee hours of September 28, 2002, a purportedly inebriated Salman Khan, lost control and ran his Toyota Land Cruiser over a bunch of pavement dwellers in Bandra, Mumbai. The hit-and-run mishap left one person killed and four others injured. 13 years later, as of today (March 27, 2015), latest updates suggest that Salman Khan  has denied all the charges that he has been slapped with, claiming he was neither driving and nor had he been drinking.

According to a report on NDTV, the five statements made in court by Salman Khan regarding the hit-and-run incident are:

1. I was not driving, my driver was. I had to get out of the car from the driver’s side because my left door was jammed, so I could not open it.
2. I instructed my driver to inform the police. I remained on the spot for 15 minutes or more
3. Drinks, including cocktails, were served at the Rain Bar. I was drinking water. Bills made out for drinks and food were not mine
4. I did sit on the driver’s seat as Altaf (driver) left and Ashok (another driver) was coming. When Ashok driver came I moved to the left side.
5. My blood was taken at two places. Blood samples were not intact. The outcome is false. My pupils were dilated because I was awake all night.

While one of the witnesses had confessed that he saw the actor tripping as he was intoxicated, Salman was vehement in his denial. He even denied his bodyguard Ravindra Patil’s statement that despite warnings he drove at a high speed, in a drunken state.

Court : Munnu (witness) said you were drunk and fell down and then got up and fell again?” He replied, “False”.

The statement was recorded in court in the presence of Salman Khan’s sisters. The superstar is being tried for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in jail. Earlier, he had faced a lesser charge of death by negligence, for which the punishment is a maximum of two years in jail.