Sibal v. Rohatgi in Salman Khan case before the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court today began hearing the appeal filed by State of Maharashtra against the Bombay High Court judgment acquitting Bollywood actor Salman Khan in the hit and run case..The matter is being heard by a Division Bench of JS Khehar and C Nagappan JJ. Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi appeared for Maharashtra, while Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal entered appearance on behalf of Salman Khan, who had filed a caveat..When the matter was taken up in a packed court room 3, Rohatgi first appraised the court of the facts of the case..“His defence was that the driver was driving the car. The driver appears 13 years after the accident. If the driver was driving the car, then the accused is guilty of shielding an offender..If a driver commits an accident, the first thing the owner should do is inform the police. Salman Khan escaped from the spot.”.Rohatgi then submitted that the trial court had rejected all the “theories” of the driver driving the car but the High Court “discounted all the witnesses and gave “wishy washy reasons”. Rohatgi then argued that the High Court’s judgment was “perverse” and “improper” and a travesty of justice..The Court heard Rohatgi for 45 minutes before it rose; with the next date of hearing fixed for February 12..Image of Kapil Sibal taken from here.