Mumbai, May 7 – Actor Salman Khan’s legal woes seem to have taken a turn for the worst yesterday.
The prosecution witnesses in the 2002 accident case involving the superstar, identified him as the person who came out of his Land Cruiser in a drunk state. The witness also maintained that the actor escaped from the mishap site.
It’s another thing that the superstar’s father Salim Khan has time and again maintained that Salman ran way from the site to escape mob fury which had started pelting stones at him.
The witnesses were among the injured who were run over by the star’s car on September 28, 2002 when they were sleeping on a footpath near American Express Bakery on that night.
The actor arrived in the court this morning at around 11.00 am accompanied by his two sisters Elvira Agnihotri and Arpita Khan, his business manager Reshma Shetty, friend Prashant (better known as Pippy) and his loyal bodyguard Shera.
Salman’s overall personality seemed slightly subdued though he looked every bit the superstar in a jeans and light blue, floral print shirt with boots that added a few inches extra to the short actor’s height.
As Salman entered the room no 16 on the 2nd floor of the sessions court building, it did not require too much effort to realise that this was no regular hearing.
At least a dozen constables were parked on duty outside room no 16 and there was marked buzz in the corridors which is unlikely to be found during other court hearings.
The court was adjourned for lunch break at around 2 pm. The hearing resumed post lunch break at 3.45 pm. While a few photographers on bike did try to follow the star, they lost track of where he sped away for lunch.
Outside the court, the police had a tough time keeping eager-beaver fans and the media in control. Equipment of a few photographers was damaged in the jostling and pushing. In fact, it was strange to find the cops shielding his car and preventing the shutterbugs from clicking the superstar. A scuffle ensured between the cops and the photographers soon.
Such is Salman’s star power that a few cops could not resist taking pictures with the star before he got into his car to leave for home at the end of the day.
The agitated media photographers told the cops, “Why aren’t you letting us click pictures when you yourself were asking the star to pose for photographs with you?”
The prosecution is expected to examine another three witnesses on May 19.
