The prosecution’s case is that Salman’s car had rammed into a bakery in suburban Bandra killing one person and injuring four others who were sleeping outside on the pavement in the wee hours of September 28, 2002.

“I met Salman next day at 9 am at his place and hugged him, but he did not smell of alcohol,” Chiky Pandey, brother of actor Chunky Pandey, told the court of sessions Judge D W Deshpande. Significantly, the mishap had occurred in the wee hours when there is hardly any traffic on road.  

Pandey told the prosecutor during examination-in-chief that he had helped Salman buy an imported car for Rs 14 lakhs from Abdul Rehman through a customs clearing agent.

Pandey further said that Salman had given two cheques of Rs 12 lakhs and Rs 2 lakhs to car owner Abdul Rehman. At the time of mishap, the vehicle was in the name of its owner and had not yet been transferred in Salman’s name, he said.