Actor Salman Khan’s retrial in the hit-and-run case will begin in Mumbai on March 26. A Mumbai court ordered a fresh trial against Mr Khan last December, after the charge against him was enhanced from “rash and negligent driving” to the more serious “culpable homicide not amounting to murder,” which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in jail.
All evidence and witnesses in the case will be re-examined.
In September 2002, Mr Khan was allegedly driving a Toyota Land Cruiser that ran over a group of people sleeping on the pavement outside a bakery in suburban Bandra. One person was killed and four others were injured in the accident.
The case has gone from court to court with arguments centred around whether Mr Khan was driving the car that day or not. The Mumbai police say they have enough evidence against him.
In 1998, Salman Khan spent three days in prison for killing a black buck, an endangered species of deer, in Rajasthan.
The 48-year-old actor is considered one of Bollywood’s biggest draws and has starred in some of its highest-earning films in the last five years. His latest release, Jai Ho co-starring debutante Daisy Shah, recently made over Rs 100 crores worldwide.
