Bombay HC to continue to dictate Salman Khan verdict

The Bombay high court will continue dictating the judgment on the appeal filed by Bollywood star Salman Khan against his conviction in the 2002 hit-and-run case on Wednesday also. The judge on Tuesday recorded important arguments put forth by the defence and prosecution.

was the second day when the judge continued dictating his order. The judge took note of the arguments made by senior counsel Amit Desai on behalf of actor which was on the point whether the actor was drunk or not.

The defence had pointed out before the court that Salman Khan’s blood sample was extracted at the state-run JJ Hospital in the night of September 28, 2002 but it was handed over to the chemical analyser only on October 1. It was contended that the blood sample was supposed to be delivered directly to chemical analyser but it was first taken to the Bandra police station and was kept there for two days before sending it to the forensic lab.

According to arguments, the senior police officer Kishan Shengal had claimed that he had stored phials containing the blood sample in the refrigerator in his cabin. However a question was raised as to whether refrigerators are kept at police station and if it was there in Bandra police station for some official work, there should be some record of it; but the prosecution never brought on record anything to prove that a fridge was there in Bandra police station.

The prosecution had said that the blood sample could not be delivered the same day because the lab was closed on Saturday and Sunday. On this the judge noted that it is unfortunate that the office of forensic laboratory was closed entirely on Saturday and Sunday and there was nobody to even receive the blood sample to keep it safe and prevent fermentation. The defence has taken the stand that since the blood sample was kept at the police station without any precaution, it resulted in fermentation, and this is why the chemical test showed a high level of alcohol and hence the result of chemical analyst cannot be relied upon.