A Jodhpur court today pronounced actor Salman Khan guilty of shooting a blackbuck in 1998.
The court, while convicting Khan, has acquitted all the rest accused.
Five Bollywood actors including Salman Khan, Saif Ali, Sonali Bendre, Neelam and Tabu were accused in the case.
Police personnel were deployed outside Jodhpur court ahead of verdict. Lawyer for Saif Ali Khan,Neelam and Sonali Bendre’s said, ‘if they are found guilty then there is equal punishment for all. Maximum punishment will be for six years and minimum one year.’
Final arguments in the case have been completed in the trial court on March 28, after which Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri had reserved the judgment to be pronounced on April 5.
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Salman Khan CONVICTED in the 1998 Black Buck Poaching Case
Salman Khan, 52, was facing charges under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and the other actors have been charged under Section 51 read with Section 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code. Maximum punishment under Section 51 is six years.
The actors are accused of hunting down two black bucks in Bhagoda ki Dhani in village Kankani near Jodhpur on the intervening night of October 1 and 2, 1998. The actors were in the city for the shooting of the film ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’.
Public Prosecutor Bhawani Singh Bhati said there was sufficient evidence against the actors.
Refuting these allegations, H M Saraswat, the defence counsel for Salman Khan, said there are many loopholes in the prosecution’s story and the prosecution has failed to prove the case beyond any doubt.
“Prosecution has failed to prove allegations against the accused and has engaged in tampering and fabricating evidences and documents as well as roping in fake witnesses to prove the case. It has even failed to prove that black bucks were killed by gunshots. Hence such investigation cannot be trusted upon”, said Saraswat.
Salman Khan blackbuck case, other court cases: Details Inside
The case also involved two more accused Dushyant Singh, who had allegedly accompanied them during the alleged poaching incident, and Dinesh Gawre, said to be an assistant of Salman Khan.