Alcohol found in Salman's blood sample after mishap: Witness

Mumbai, Dec 3: A chemical analyst today told the sessions court here that he had found alcohol in the blood sample of actor Salman Khan during his medical examination after the infamous 2002 hit-and-run accident.

During the examination by special public prosecutor Pradeep Gharat, Bal Shankar, the analyst, said he conducted analysis of a 100 ml sample, and found 62 mg of ethyl alcohol. To a question, he said normally a person who consumes alcohol would have about 30 mg of alcohol per 100 ml, but if he or she is on medication then the alcohol content may increase by upto 40 per cent.

The prosecution examined the witness to establish that Khan had liquor before his car met with the accident in suburban Bandra on September 28, 2002, killing one person and injuring four others. While the prosecution has alleged that Salman was at the wheel, the actor has denied it.

The witness said he had also conducted a test to detect presence of morpholin, and it came out positive. Salman's lawyer Srikant Shivade pointed out that Bandra police, who probed the accident, referred the case to government-run J J hospital for a blood test mentioning that they were forwarding one sample. However, the hospital wrote to the forensic lab saying it was sending two samples.

On Shivade's request, the court deferred the cross examination of the chemical analyst until he cross-examined a doctor of J J Hospital to find out how many samples it had received. Another witness, a regional transport officer, told the court that he had inspected the white colour Toyota Land Cruiser belonging to the actor after the mishap and found that it had not developed any mechanical problem. The prosecution brought this witness to show that nothing was wrong with the car, and the mishap took place solely because of `rash and negligent' driving.

PTI