Jodhpur Court to Pronounce Verdict on Thursday
A Jodhpur court will pronounce its verdict in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case against actor Salman Khan and others on Thursday.
Final arguments of the case were completed in the trial court on March 28, after which Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri had reserved the judgment.
Salman Khan was accused of killing two blackbucks in Bhagoda ki Dhani in Kankani village near Jodhpur on the intervening night of 1-2 October, 1998, during the shooting of “Hum Saath Saath Hain”.
Salman Khan is facing charges under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and the other actors have been charged under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act read with Section 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code.
“All of them were in a Gypsy car that night, with Salman Khan in the driving seat. He, on spotting a herd of blackbucks, shot and killed two of them,” Public Prosecutor Bhawani Singh Bhati had 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.
Refuting these allegations, Salman Khan's counsel Hastimal Saraswat said there were several loopholes in the prosecution's story and it had failed to prove its case beyond any doubt.
(With PTI and ANI inputs)
Salman Khan Reaches Mumbai
Salman Khan reached Mumbai in a chartered plane on Saturday after being granted bail by a Jodhpur court in the blackbuck poaching case.
Salman Khan Reaches Jodhpur Airport, Will Reach Mumbai at Night
Salman Khan has reached the Jodhpur airport. According to CNN-News18, a chartered plane would be flying the Bollywood actor to Mumbai.
Salman Khan Walks Free After Getting Bail
Salman Khan was released from the Jodhpur Central Jail just hours after a court granted him bail in the blackbuck poaching case. He is on his way to the Jodhpur airport and would be reaching Mumbai at night.
Earlier, the DCP (East) of Jodhpur told the media:
The procedure at the jail premises is over. We are arranging security at the airport and the security in transit. Once that is done, we will move him.Amandeep Singh Kapoor, DCP (East), Jodhpur
Salman Khan’s Fans Celebrate After the Court's Verdict
Immediately after a Jodhpur court granted Salman Khan bail in the blackbuck poaching case, many of his fans celebrated outside his Mumbai residence.
Saba and Farah, the conjoined twins hailing from Patna who call themselves the rakhi sisters of Salman Khan, also celebrated after the court’s verdict.
