Salman Khan gets 5-year jail term after conviction in Blackbuck Poaching case

DH

Jodhpur, 05 Apr 2018: A trial court on Thursday convicted Salman Khan and ordered him to serve a five-year jail term in the two-decade-old blackbuck poaching case. However his co-stars, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre, Neelam and a local travel agent Dushaynt Singh were acquitted.

 

Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri, while pronouncing the verdict in the 1998 Blackbuck killing case called the actor a ’habitual offender’. Judge Khatri ruled that hence the actor has been convicted, while the others have been given the benefit of the doubt.

 

Salman’s lawyer Hastimal Saraswat is arguing for a shorter quantum of sentence. If he gets under three years, he can apply for bail right here. If he gets a sentence for more than 3 years, he will have to apply for bail in the sessions/high court.

 

As per the sources his lawyer HS Saraswat has already brought two female helps along from his house for Salman’s bail. As per the rule, a local resident can give the bail when one is found guilty.

 

Dressed in his "lucky" black shirt Salman reached the court along with his sisters Arpita and Alvira in a blue SUV under a tight security. His bodyguard Shera dressed in a white t-shirt was also seen escorting him.

Court turns into a fortress:

Court premises looks like a fortress with heavy security layer in wake of threats given by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to hurt Khan. Emergency response team and women commandoes have been stationed at the court premises.

 

"We have deployed around 200 security personnel who will guard the star cast especially Salman Khan. Out of four gates, only two gates will be open for entry and exit", DCP Amandeep told DH.

 

The case dates back to October 1996 when Khan, Saif, Neelam, Tabu and Sonali allegedly went on a hunting expedition in Kankani and killed two blackbucks around midnight on October 1-2, 1998. Actors were in Rajasthan for the shoot of Hindi film Hum Saath Saath Hain.

 

The poaching had taken place near a village of Bishnois, a community that revers blackbuck and is passionate about protecting these animals. Blackbucks are endangered species and hunting them is prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act.

 

The actor was also charged for keeping an arm with an expired license and was charged under the Arms Act in which he was acquitted in by a trial court in January 2017.

 

There were two more cases against Salman Khan for allegedly killing two chinkaras (Indian Gazelle) but here also actor was acquitted by Rajasthan High Court in July 2016 for the poaching of the chinkara. However, prosecutors have challenged his acquittal in a higher court which is currently pending in the SC.