Upholding Salman Khan's deposition, driver Ashok Singh on Monday told the trial court that he was driving the car and not the actor, which met with an accident in 2002 killing one person and injuring four. 

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Singh claimed that the vehicle had some technical problem which led to the accident.

"On that day, I had left from JW Marriot along with Khan, his security, Ravindra Patil and Kamaal Khan. I was the one who was driving the car and Salman was sitting on the seat next to the driver's seat. Suddenly, the front left tyre of the land cruiser car burst, which then jammed the steering wheel. I tried to apply the breaks, but it was too late," Singh said in his deposition.

On March 27, describing the evidence adduced against him in the hit-and-run case as "false", Bollywood superstar Salman Khan had said, "My driver, Ashok Singh, was driving the car when the mishap occurred," Khan, attired in a white shirt and blue denim jeans, said in reply to a question posed by Judge D W Deshpande.

The 49-year-old actor while stating that he was not driving the and his driver was behind the wheel also denied the prosecution's charge that he had taken drinks just before the mishap occurred.

Khan's car had rammed into a bakery shop in suburban Bandra in the wee hours of September 28, 2002, killing one person and injuring four others who were sleeping outside on pavement.

According to prosecution, he was driving the car and he was under the influence of liquor at the relevant time, a charge he denied.

"I do not want to examine myself but would like to examine defence witnesses", said the actor when the court asked him what he had to say about the case against him.

This is a fresh trial being held in a sessions court after a Magistrate added the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder which lays down punishment upto ten years.

The prosecution has alleged that the actor was under the influence of liquor and examined witnesses to prove that before the mishap he had gone along with his friends to a bar in a seven star hotel in the late hours on the ill-fated day.

It has alleged that he did not have a driving licence.

The prosecution has also alleged that Khan was driving his Land Cruiser SUV in a rash and negligent manner. In this regard, it has relied upon the statement of Khan's police bodyguard Ravindra Patil to a Magistrate earlier that he had asked the actor not to drive rashly or else he would meet with an accident but he did not pay heed to his advice.

However, Patil passed away during the trial and on a prosecution plea, the court has taken on record his statement but will decide on its evidence value later.

On the other hand, Khan has denied allegations that he was under the influence of liquor and that he was driving the car at the time of mishap.

(With inputs from Pranali Chindarkar)