After allegations that Mumbai police were intentionally delaying the trial to protect Salman Khan, the actor has now been issued summons to appear in court at the end of this month

The Bandra court issued summons and a show-cause notice to Bollywood actor Salman Khan and the Mumbai police on Monday, following delays in the trial of the Bollywood actor in a 2002 hit-and-run case. At a press conference last month, lawyer Abha Singh had briefed the media about how Khan was manipulating the case with the help of the police.

Singh, a former bureaucrat and wife of former IPS officer Y P Singh had filed a petition in the Bandra court on November 2, and argued that while trials were promptly concluded in other sensitive cases, it had dragged on in Khan's case.

The complaint filed by Singh alleged that doctors unrelated to the case had been examined in court during the trial, as a result of false information provided by the police in order to cause delays.

On Monday, the additional chief metropolitan court in Bandra issued a notice through the senior inspector of police of the Bandra police station to Khan, asking him to remain present at court on December 27. Magistrate Vilas Patil also issued a notice to the Mumbai police, seeking an explanation for the delay.

Singh had demanded a high-level inquiry, stating that the police were abusing power and violating laws to protect Khan. She also showed documents of court proceedings, in which the trial court had issued summons to 39 witnesses but police did not serve summons to 24 of them.


`Under Section 193 of IPC, Salman Khan can get seven years' imprisonment. By delaying the case, Mumbai police is going soft on him. Police are also tampering with evidence,` she said.

TIMELINE

Sept 28, 2002: Salman Khan allegedly rammed his car into a bakery in suburban Bandra and ran over people sleeping on the pavement, killing one person and injuring four

Oct 6, 2003: Local court framed ten charges against Khan, who pleaded not guilty

Sept 22, 2005: Trial against Khan begins

In 2006, 24 of the 39 prosecution witnesses to the incident were not served summons, while others failed to turn up, leaving just one witness to testify

Oct 8, 2012: Court rejects Khan's application to sell the car he was driving during the incident