Salman Khan hit and run: RTO statement submitted in court

The Mumbai police on Tuesday produced the statement of the RTO officer before the special CBI court, which is conducting the trial in actor Salman Khan's alleged hit and run case. The officer was the then in-charge of the Andheri RTO office when the alleged accident took place in 2002. The statement of the witness will make clear whether the actor had a driving license during the accident.

What did the prosecution want?
The prosecution on January 31 had pleaded the court to allow it to examine two more witnesses who would get the prosecution's picture clear. The prosecution claimed that it would like to examine the then RTO chief of the Andheri RTO and the police constable who had taken the blood samples of the actor from the police station to the forensic science laboratory.

What did the court rule?
However, the defence had opposed the bringing of the two witnesses on record, claiming that it was a tactic adopted by the prosecution to cover the lacunae in it's case. The court had then directed the police to first record the statement of the RTO officer and then submit it before the court and also a copy of the same to the defence. The court further maintained that only after the court finds substance in the statement of the witness, it would decide if or not to allow the prosecution to bring its witness.

What do the cops say?
Police officer Rajendra Kane, who is the investigating officer in the case, said, "We had recorded the statement of the RTO officer Bilawar on February 8 and on Tuesday we produced the two-page document before the court. We have also provided a copy of the same to the defence. However, we cannot put more light on his statement since he is a witness in the case."
Meanwhile, the special public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat, while speaking to dna, claimed that it would be now clear if Khan was in possession of a driving license. "The police produced the report in a closed envelop," said advocate Gharat.
According to the prosecution, the actor in September 2002 had allegedly rammed his car into pavement dwellers who were sleeping outside a bakery in Bandra, killing a person and injuring four others.