Today, the Jodhpur Court has found Salman Khan guilty in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case. Salman Khan is accused of killing two blackbucks in the Kankani village near Jodhpur in 1998 during the shooting of the film 'Hum Saath Saath Hain'. His co-stars Tabu, Sonali Bendre, Neelam and Saif Ali Khan, who were co-accused have been acquitted by the court. Charges on Salman will be announced by 2 pm.
Salman Khan was charged under Section 9 read with Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 along with Section 149 of the Indian Penal Code. Section 9 prohibits the hunting of certain animals listed in the Act. A black buck is one of the animals protected by it. Section 51 allows the court to sentence those found guilty to imprisonment between one to six years along with a fine of at least Rs 5,000.
According to the reports, there were 28 witnesses in the case. On 2 October 1998, Khan allegedly hunted two black bucks. His co-stars Tabu, Sonali Bendre, Neelam and Saif Ali Khan are co-accused in the case and court has set them free.
Timeline of black buck poaching case: -2 October, 1998: Police complaint filed against five actors, including Salman Khan, of Hum Saath Saath Hain. -10 April, 2006: Trial court convicts Salman Khan -31 August, 2006: Rajasthan High Court suspends trial court judgment -25 July, 2016: Rajasthan HC acquits Khan of all charges -05 April, 2018: Salman Khan found guilty
Before hearing, main accused Salman Khan's stated that the black buck died of natural causes. "Only the first forensic report of Dr. Nepalia saying that the animal died of "natural causes" was true and the rest of the evidence is false," he reportedly said.