Judgement date in Salman Khan's case to be fixed on April 20

MUMBAI: A trial court here today said it would fix on April 20 the date for pronouncement of judgement in the 13-year-old hit-and-run case in which Bollywood actor Salman Khan is an accused and refused to give the defence more time to conclude its final arguments.

"I would decide on Monday the date of the judgement," said Sessions Judge D W Deshpande, when Khan's lawyer Shrikant Shivade said he needed more time.

"Conclude your argument by April 20 and no further time would be given either to the defence or prosecution to make more submissions," the judge said.

The prosecution has already argued its case.

Altogether 27 witnesses were examined by the prosecution while the defence examined only one witness -- Khan's driver Ashok Singh.

The 49-year-old actor is accused of ramming his Toyota Land Cruiser into a bakery in suburban Bandra on September 28, 2002, killing one person and injuring four others. He has been charged with 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder' which attracts ten years imprisonment.

The sessions court is conducting a fresh trial. Earlier, the magistrate's court was trying Khan for the lesser charge of rash and negligent driving, which attracts two years jail term. However, mid-way during the trial, the magistrate felt that the charge of 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder' should be added, and he referred the case to the sessions court as the offence is not triable by a lower court.