Game for justice?

THE allegations of poaching against Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi come seven years after another hunting misadventure involving his son. But Saif ...

THE allegations of poaching against Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi come seven years after another hunting misadventure involving his son. But Saif Ali Khan was only a side actor. Co-star Salman Khan played the main role. His infamous shooting sequence in the deserts of Jodhpur made its way into police diaries and triggered a courtroom drama. But the moment of reckoning for the film star is finally here.

A Jodhpur court, which is hearing one of the four cases filed against Salman for poaching endangered animals, is likely to announce its decision next month.

Salman and the entire star cast of Sooraj Barjatya8217;s Hum Saath Saath Hain had made headlines after the Rajasthan forest department booked them for poaching black bucks and chinkara in September 1998.

While others were let off after a preliminary enquiry, Salman and Satish Shah were taken to court as main accused. Amidst the uproar that followed, Salman had to spend two nights in the Central Jail of Jodhpur before a battery of lawyers could bail him out.

While the other three cases may take some time, criminal suit number 207/99, in which Salman, Satish and six other locals have been accused of killing a black buck on the night of September 26-27, is coming to an end. 8216;8216;The final arguments are slated for July 16. The verdict can come any day after that,8217;8217; says Hastimal Saraswat, Salman8217;s lawyer.

And the prosecution believes this case could be the undoing of Khan. The mainstay of the prosecution8217;s case is the forensics FSL report that says the cartridges found from the body of the dead animal were fired from a gun owned by Salman.

Buttressing the charges against Salman are the evidences from 23 of the 31 witnesses others turned hostile. 8216;8216;Their depositions can go against our client,8217;8217; says Saraswat.

If convicted, Salman and the other accused can be sentenced to a maximum term of six years in prison.

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ON June 4, 2005, when Salman and Satish appeared before the CJM, they pleaded not guilty. Salman8217;s lawyer is confident that the court will reject the case. The reason behind his confidence: the disappearance of key witness Harish Dulani.

	CASE FILE
	Blood Sport 8226; Salman, Saif, Neelam, Tabu and Satish Shah were accused of poaching black bucks in Jodhpur during September 26-29, 1998 8226; Salman and Satish Shah were booked as main accused 8226; Of the four cases against them, the court will hear final arguments in one of them on July 16, 2005 8226; On June 4, 2005, Salman and Satish appeared before the court for their final evidence

Dulani, the driver of the gypsy hired by Salman in Jodhpur, was the first to spill beans on the film stars8217; hunting escapades. Since he was the only eyewitness, the police built its entire case on his statement.

In January 2002, when Dulani deposed before the court, he stuck to his statement and named Salman as the main accused. But soon after his first appearance in court, he went missing. Rumours suggest that Dulani has been packed off to the Gulf with a 8216;8216;lucrative job offer8217;8217;.

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Salman8217;s lawyer, however, says Dulani disappeared because he feared his story would be ripped apart during cross-examination. 8216;8216;The forest department had 8216;managed8217; his evidence,8217;8217; says Saraswat.

But the forest department and the prosecution are convinced that the most famous poaching case in Jodhpur8217;s history will lead to several convictions. 8216;8216;The evidence is strong. The FSL report is a clear indicator of the actor8217;s guilt. He can8217;t escape his bad karma,8217;8217; says a prosecution lawyer.