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Salman Khan has been accused of killing two chinkaras and a blackbuck in September 1998. In all, three cases of poaching and one under the Arms Act were registered against Salman Khan in 1998.
Also Read: Blackbuck Poaching Case Verdict: Court To Seal Salman Khan’s Fate
The forest department recovered the carcasses of blackbucks after the poaching incident. A forensic report also confirmed that the blood samples obtained from Salman Khan’s car matched with the blackbucks.
The black buck is a species of antelope native to the Indian subcontinent. Since 2003, it has been listed as near threatened by IUCN and considered an endangered species in India. It is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
Blackbuck Poaching Case Accused
Bollywood actors Sonali Bendre, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu and Neelam are involved in the blackbuck poaching case, while Salman Khan is the main accused. It also involved two more accused, Dushyant Singh, who was allegedly accompanying the actors when the poaching took place, and Dinesh Gawre, said to be Salman Khan’s assistant.
However, prosecutor Bhati says that Gawre never appeared in court and was made to disappear by Salman Khan. Had he been around, there could have been more information available in the case, he said.
How Salman Khan is defending himself
The actor’s counsel H M Saraswat has rejected these allegations as baseless pointing out to loopholes in the prosecution’s theory. “Prosecution has failed to prove the allegations. It engaged in tampering and fabricating evidence and documents as well as roping in fake witnesses to prove its case,” he said. “It even failed to prove that the blackbucks were killed by gunshots. Hence, such investigation cannot be trusted,” added Saraswat.
Prosecutor’s Theory
“All of them were in a Gypsy car that night, with Salman Khan in the driving seat. He, on spotting a herd of black bucks, shot at and killed two of them,” Public Prosecutor Bhawani Singh Bhati said.
“But on being spotted and chased, they fled from the spot leaving the dead animals there,” he said, adding that there was adequate evidence against them.
Blackbuck Poaching Case Timeline
October 2, 1998: A police complaint was filed against the five actors Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam for allegedly killing two blackbucks while they were shooting for the movie Hum Sath Sath Hain in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur.
April 10, 2006: Salman Khan convicted in the blackbuck hunting case. He was slapped a fine and sentenced to five years of jail. He spent a week in jail in Jodhpur before being granted bail.
August 31, 2006: The Rajasthan Court suspended the sentence and ordered the actor to not leave the country without formal permission.
August 31, 2006: The Rajasthan Court suspended the sentence and ordered the actor to not leave the country without formal permission.
November 11, 2016: Salman Khan was issued notice by the Supreme Court on an appeal by the Rajasthan government challenging his acquittal in blackbuck poaching case. The top court agrees to fast-track the plea.
March 28: Final arguments of the case were completed in the trial court after which Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri had reserved the judgment for today.
