Waiter identifies Salman Khan, says he served drinks

Mumbai, May 19 (IANS) A bar waiter Monday identified bollywood actor Salman Khan in court here and said the actor came with his friends to have drinks in a five-star hotel hours before his car allegedly mowed down a group of persons sleeping on the pavement, killing one of them 12 years ago.

The waiter, Molay Baug from JW Marriot Hotel, told the court that he had served cocktails and white rum to the group, but could not recall whether Khan also consumed the drinks with his friends that night.

"It was dark and the lights were dim... I could not see who consumed the drinks... All that I can recollect is that I served the drinks to the group, which came along with Salman Khan," Baug said during cross-examination by Khan's lawyer Shrikant Shivade.

The waiter admitted that it would be difficult for him to say whether all the people in that group had taken alcohol that night.

Another witness Laxman More, a policeman, who was on guard duty for Salman Khan's younger brother Sohail Khan said he was posted at the Khans' residence in Bandra that night.

Though Salman and Sohail went together to 'Rain Bar' that night, Sohail returned after midnight. Around three hours later, a man came and informed police posted at the residence that Salman had met with an accident.

More said that he, with several others, rushed to spot with the man who informed the police in his vehicle, but did not find Salman at the accident site and waited for two-three minutes.

More said that he did not know the person who informed them about the accident.

The two witnesses' deposition came during the re-trial of the Salman Khan hit-and-run case, started April 28.

Khan is accused of driving his SUV onto the sleeping pavement dwellers, killing one and injuring four others near a bakery shop in Bandra west Sep 28, 2002.

The hearing of the case will resume before Sessions Judge D.W. Deshpande here Tuesday.

Salman and his two sisters Alvira and Arpita were present in the court where a total of six witnesses have so far deposed since the retrial commenced.