Court exempts Salman Khan from appearance in hit-and-run case

A Mumbai court Monday exempted Bollywood actor Salman Khan from a personal appearance in the 2002 hit-and-run case.

The ruling was given by the sessions court, which is hearing Khan's petition challenging an order of the Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate Court, which had found him guilty on the ground that he was fully aware of the consequences of rash driving.

The sessions court posted the matter for the next hearing May 8.

Salman Khan has been accused of driving his Toyota Land Cruiser rashly in 2002. It rammed into a bakery in suburban Bandra, killed one person and injured four more.

In February, the Bandra Metropolitan Magistrate Court, which heard the case for over a decade, held the actor guilty and ruled that charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder should be added by the prosecution.

It took congnizance of the submissions made by Salman Khan's police bodyguard who testified that he had warned the actor not to speed at 90-100 kmph as there was a blind curve ahead. The actor allegedly did not heed his advice, the bodyguard said.

The court also took cognizance of medical reports indicating that Salman Khan was under the influence of alcohol at the time of the incident.

Last month, Salman Khan challenged the lower court order in the sessions court, terming the order as "bad in law and erroneous".