Journalism of Courage
A Jodhpur court on Thursday convicted actor Salman Khan and handed him a five-year jail term in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, while acquitting co-accused Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Neelam and Tabu due to lack of strong evidence against them. Salman was accused of killing two blackbucks on October 2, 1998 in Kankani village in Jodhpur during the shooting of “Hum Saath Saath Hain”. (Express Photo)
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Salman Khan inside Jodhpur jail after being convicted in the black buck case. (Express Photo)
Salman Khan enters Jodhpur Central jail after Thursday's conviction in the blackbuck poaching case. (Express photo)
A fifth person, Dushyant Singh, a local who was allegedly accompanying the actors when the poaching took place, has also been acquitted, Mahipal Bishnoi, the prosecution counsel, said. Salman was also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000. (Express photo)
The actor’s lawyers will now approach the Rajasthan High Court for bail in the case. (Express photo)
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Actors Saif Ali Khan, Neelam, Samir Soni arrive at the Jodhpur court for the hearing on Thursday. (Express photo)
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Actors Tabu and Sonali Bendre arrive at the Jodhpur court for the hearing. They were charged under section 51 read with section 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). (Express Photo)
READ | Salman Khan guilty, Saif and others acquitted by Jodhpur court in blackbuck poaching case
Salman's sisters Alvira and Arpita are seen arriving at the court in Jodhpur. (Source: APH IMAGES)
READ | Salman Khan guilty in blackbuck poaching case: A timeline
Salman was convicted in one of the cases in 2006 and was sentenced to five years in jail. While the actor spent a week in jail, the sentence was suspended by the Rajasthan High Court. The actor was also booked under the Arms Act as the licence of the gun he allegedly used while hunting had expired. However, the charges were later dropped due to lack of evidence. (Source: APH IMAGES)
READ | Salman Khan guilty in blackbuck poaching case: A timeline
The trial of the case has been in progress for the last 19 years and Judge Dev Kumar Khatri reserved the order after the final arguments on March 28. Salman, who has been charged under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, may face six years imprisonment. (Source: APH IMAGES)
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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.(Source: APH IMAGES)
READ | Salman Khan guilty, Saif and others acquitted by Jodhpur court in blackbuck poaching case
The blackbuck is an endangered antelope species native to the Indian subcontinent. It has been listed as "near threatened" by IUCN. The species is protected under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Act. (Source: APH IMAGES)
READ | Salman Khan guilty, Saif and others acquitted by Jodhpur court in blackbuck poaching case
