Salman drove the Gypsy to the spot of poaching: Prosecution
JODHPUR: The prosecution today told the Rajasthan High Court (HC) that actor Salman Khan himself had driven the Maruti Gypsy from Jodhpur to the spot where a Chinkara, an endangered gazelle, was poached in 1998.
The prosecution argued that it was Khan who had driven the vehicle from Jodhpur to Ghoda Farm in Mathania, a distance of around 40 kms, and then, to the spot where the animal was killed on September 28-29, 1998.
Additional Advocate General KL Thakur, appearing for the prosecution, produced the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report of the tyres of the vehicle, stating that out of six samples of the tyre treads, taken from two different places, four had matched.
"A total of six samples of tyre treads had been taken from the spot of the poaching and the vehicle, which was under the custody of the Forest Department," Thakur contended.
"Of these, two samples -- A and B -- had been taken from Ujalia Bhakar where the poaching had taken place and four samples of each tyre -- C, D, E and F -- had been taken from the vehicle," he said.
Thakur submitted that of these samples, A had matched with D, E and F, which showed that it was the same vehicle which was used for poaching and the one driven by Khan.
"The remaining two samples -- B and C -- could not be examined because they were not clear," Thakur said.
The prosecution's response to the defence on a revision petition, filed by Khan in connection with the Chinkara poaching case, continued in the HC for the second day today.
Khan has filed the petition against a five-year sentence awarded to him by the trial court for the killing of the gazelle.
Thakur also sought to establish a link between the circumstantial evidence in the case with the statements of key witness Harish Dulani who had mentioned that Khan was first guided to Ghoda Farm in Mathania from his hotel in Jodhpur and then, to Ujalia Bhakar, four kms away, where the Chinkara was killed.
The defence had earlier argued that it did not get an opportunity to cross-examine Dulani.