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Salman Khan blackbuck poaching case HIGHLIGHTS: After spending two nights at Jodhpur Central Jail, Salman Khan got bail in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case on Saturday. A district and sessions court in Jodhpur granted bail to the actor who was lodged at the Jodhpur Central Jail after being sentenced to five years of imprisonment in the case. The actor has been granted bail on the condition that he will have to produce two sureties worth Rs 25,000 and a bail bond of Rs 50,000.
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Salman was sentenced to five years imprisonment for killing two blackbucks in Kankani village, near Jodhpur, during the shooting of “Hum Saath Saath Hain”.
Salman’s counsel had on Friday moved a petition in the court for bail and suspension of sentence. The hearing was adjourned on Friday, and deferred to Saturday after district and sessions judge Ravindra Kumar Joshi called for records pertaining to the trial court judgment.
Meanwhile, public prosecutor Pokhar Ram Bishnoi said this case should not be seen in the same way with the ones in which Khan has been acquitted by the High Court. “This case shouldn’t be seen in the same way with the ones in which Khan has been acquitted by the High Court. The second postmortem report clearly states the animal died of gunshot wounds and the fact that the eyewitness stuck to his statements throughout the trial shows that our case is strong,” he said.
Besides a five-year jail term, Salman was imposed a fine of Rs 10,000. Meanwhile, he was escorted to the Jodhpur airport by police in the afternoon from where he left for Mumbai. He reached Mumbai in the evening.
In pictures: Sisters Alvira, Arpita, fans arrive to support actor in Jodhpur
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Salman Khan arrived in Mumbai on Saturday evening. He was granted bail in blackbuck poaching case by a Jodhpur court, earlier in the day.
After spending two nights at Jodhpur Central Jail, Bollywood actor Salman Khan finally got bail in the blackbuck poaching case. A district and sessions court granted bail to the superstar in the 1998 case in which he has was sentenced to five years in jail.
According to sources, the verdict is likely to be announced at 3 pm instead of 2 pm.
Ever since the verdict was pronounced on Thursday, several Bollywood celebrities have been thronging Salman’s apartment in Mumbai. His Race 3 co-actor Jacqueline Fernandez was spotted outside his house on Friday evening and filmmaker David Dhawan who has made films like Judwaa and Biwi No 1 with Salman also came to be with his family in the difficult times.
Meanwhile, actor-filmmaker Mahesh Manjrekar told PTI that he believes everyone makes mistakes, but when his friend Salman Khan is at fault, it is 'blown out of proportion'. 'Salman is one guy who is ready to take the rap. He is ready to take the rap, the blame (on himself). He is human at the end of the day. Who doesn't make a mistake? I definitely make a mistake. But when he makes a mistake, it is blown out of proportion,' Manjrekar said.
According to sources, Salman Khan's counsel Hastimal Saraswat argued that the actor has never jumped bail in the past and has always appeared for trials in the case.
The actor's sister Arpita Khan is also present in the court for the hearing. Sources say the verdict is likely to be announced after lunch.
According to sources, public prosecutor Pokhar Ram Bishnoi is currently presenting his arguments against the actor's bail. The defense's arguments, however, remain the same.
Meanwhile, in an administrative order issued late Friday night, the Rajasthan High Court, Jodhpur, transferred 87 judicial officers in the district judge cadre. The list of transferred judges included district and sessions judge Ravindra Kumar Joshi, who is hearing Salman's bail plea. Joshi was transferred to the post of district and sessions judge Sirohi.
The second post-mortem report of the two blackbucks played a key role in proving that the animals had died of gunshots, as the trial court, while convicting Salman Khan, mentioned that it has been proved beyond doubt that the Bollywood superstar had shot them. The medical board report stated that there were holes, one inch in diameter, in the bones of blackbuck carcasses and this could be caused by shots fired from a gun. Read: Full report
Shortly after the sentence was pronounced on Thursday, the actor was taken to the Jodhpur Central Jail. His lawyers have filed a bail application, which was expected to be heard on Friday. “We have appealed against his conviction and have also applied for bail. We had argued that when the Gypsy in question was searched for the first time, bullets weren’t recovered and only bloodstains were found. The bullets were recovered after a few days when the vehicle was searched once again,” Hastimal Saraswat, who appeared for Khan, had earlier said.
A complaint was registered by the Bishnoi community of Rajasthan on October 2 that year against the actors, who allegedly hunted down two blackbucks during the filming of the movie. According to the complaint, Salman Khan is accused of killing two blackbucks in Bhagoda ki Dhani near Jodhpur on the intervening night of October 1-2, 1998. He was also charged for possessing a weapon with an expired license. Read: All you need to know
Salman was sentenced to five years of imprisonment for killing two blackbucks in Kankani village, near Jodhpur, during the shooting of "Hum Saath Saath Hain" in 1998. Besides the jail term, he was imposed a fine of Rs 10,000. While the remaining co-accused in the case – actors Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Neelam and Tabu – and Dushyant Singh, a resident of the area, were acquitted by the court, the seventh accused, Dinesh Gawre, is absconding.
According to news agency ANI, Joshi has arrived in the court and the hearing is expected to begin shortly.
The hearing on Salman Khan's bail petition in the 1998 blackbuck case is expected to continue on Saturday. While the hearing for earlier slated for Friday, however, district and sessions judge Ravindra Kumar Joshi called for records pertaining to the trial court judgment and deferred the hearing to today. Follow LIVE UPDATES here.