Salman Khan driver says he was driving the car that killed pavement dweller

In his maiden court appearance he said that he felt bad that because of him the actor had to undergo so much trouble and claimed that he was driving the SUV, a Toyota Land Cruiser, that went over the pavement killing one person and injuring four others.

Ashok also denied that he had taken money to take the blame on himself. He said they both got out of the car from the right side because the left door was jammed, said reports.

Salman Khan earlier on Friday denied that he was driving the SUV that ran over sleeping pavement dwellers in the 2002 hit-and-run case.

Testifying in a Mumbai sessions court, the 49-year-old actor  repeatedly denied that he was drunk and that he was driving his Toyota Land Cruiser at a high speed in the early hours of September 28, 2002.

He admitted that he sat behind the wheels, but claimed he did so only briefly while waiting for his other driver.

"My left door was jammed so I could not open it so I had to get out from the driver's side," Khan said.

He did not deny that he was at a bar before the accident but said he only drank water claiming that the bills made out for drinks as well as food, he said, were not his.

Khan also disputed accounts that he ran away after the accident to escape public wrath.

"I instructed the driver to inform the police. I remained at the spot for 15 minutes or more," he told the court.

The actor is being tried for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison.