The sessions court on Tuesday turned down the plea of a social activist who sought to intervene in the 2002 hit-and-run case involving the film star to help the prosecution in the trial.
Session judge S.D. Deshpande held that right to intervene is available only to a complainant or witness and an aggrieved party. “In the present case, the applicant Santosh Daundkar is neither a witness, complainant nor an aggrieved party. Hence, he could not be allowed to intervene,” the court observed.
The court also rejected another application by Mr Daundkar seeking transfer of his complaint from magistrate court to the sessions court about action against Khan and police for perjury (giving false evidence) by producing wrong witnesses in this case, as a result of which the trial was delayed. However, regarding Salman’s plea for a direction to the media to report true and fair proceedings of the case, the court deferred its order till October 15 stating that it was pending before the Bombay high court.
On October 15, the court will hear Salman’s lawyer and prosecution on what evidence should be led in this case. Mr Daundkar’s lawyers Aditya Pratap and Abha Singh had argued that their client wanted to intervene in the case in public
interest. Though Salman’s lawyer opposed the application, the public prosecutor hadn’t raised any objection against it.