Salman Khan recieves a blow

The Supreme Court Monday dismissed a petition from actor Salman Khan seeking in-camera proceedings in a trial court during the deposition of a key eyewitness in a 2002 hit-and-run case in which he is accused of killing a man and injuring four others.

A bench of judges Ashok Bhan and Altamas Kabir rejected Khan's special leave petition.

They said since the testimony of other witnesses had been recorded in open court, there would be no problem in recording the statement of the main witness Ravinder Patil in the same manner.

Khan had challenged a Bombay High Court order rejecting his plea for in-camera deposition by Patil, a constable who is the complainant and key witness in the case.

He said Patil did not appear in the court and non-bailable warrants were issued against him. All of a sudden, Patil appeared before the media and made a statement that someone was threatening him from Khan's father's house.

Khan said it was strange that a policeman should approach the media instead of complaining to the authorities. He said he had applied for in-camera proceedings to ensure that he got a fair trial and was not tried constantly by a hostile media.