On Thursday, Jodhpur court will pronounce its verdict in the 1998 black buck poaching case involving actor Salman Khan. Not only Salman but actor Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, and Tabu are also the co-accused in the case. The movie stars were accused of poaching blackbucks in Kankani village near Jodhpur on 1-2 October 1998, during the shooting of Hum Saath Saath Hain movie. Final arguments in the case were completed in the trial court on 28 March, after which Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri had reserved the judgment. Salman Khan is charged under Section 9 read with Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 along with Section 149 of the Indian Penal Code. If found equal guilty then all the other actors will also suffer equal punishment.
Let's have a quick overview of the four cases associated with the poaching incident:
#Case 1 Bhawad Chinkara Poaching: On 27 September 1998, Salman Khan allegedly hunted a Chinkara on the border of Bhawad village near Jodhpur.
Status of the Case: On 17 February 2006, the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate sentenced him to one-year rigorous imprisonment. Khan approached the Rajasthan High Court to quash the sentence. #Case 2 Ghoda Farm Poaching Case: On the night of 28 September 1998, Khan allegedly hunted two Chinkaras near Ghoda Farm area in Osian region of Jodhpur.
Status of the Case: On 10 April 2006, Khan was sentenced to five years rigorous imprisonment. He approached the district judge against the decision, but his appeal was rejected, following which the actor appealed to the high court with review petition. On 25 July 2017, the court acquitted Khan in both the Ghoda Farm and Bhawad Chinkara poaching cases. #Case 3 Arms Act Case: A .32 revolver and .22 rifle were recovered by forest officials and police allegedly from Khan’s hotel room after the poaching cases were registered against him. The weapons were seized on 15 October 1998 while Khan’s arm license had already expired on 22 September 1998.
Status of the Case: The court acquitted Khan in January 2017. #Case 4 Kankani Black Buck Poaching Case: On 2 October 1998, Khan allegedly hunted two blackbucks. His co-stars Tabu, Sonali Bendre, Neelam and Saif Ali Khan are co-accused in the case and face charges of incitement.
Status of Case: Trial court will deliver its verdict on Thursday.