In a surprising twist of events, actor Salman Khan was sentenced to five years in jail by a Jodhpur trial court in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case. Jodhpur District Presiding Officer Devkumar Khatri pronounced Salman guilty of killing two blackbucks on October 1, 1998 during a hunting expedition near Jodhpur. The animals are an endangered species. He has also been charged a penalty of Rs 10,000. Co-accused Sonali Bendre, Saif Al Khan, Neelam, and Tabu were present in court during pronouncement of the verdict.
The actors are accused of hunting down two blackbucks in Kankani village on October 1 and 2, 1998. They were in the city shooting for 'Hum Saath Saath Hain'. Salman had earlier pleaded innocence in the case, claiming before the court that the blackbuck had died of “natural causes” and that he was being “framed”. He faces charges under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act while the other actors have been charged under Section 51 read with Section 149 (Unlawful Assembly) of the Indian Penal Code.
HM Saraswat, defence counsel for Khan said there are several loopholes in the prosecution's case and the prosecution has failed to prove the case beyond any doubt. “Prosecution has failed to prove all allegations against the accused and he 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,” he said.
