Video Editor: Sunil Goswami
The power of wealth and popularity failed as a Jodhpur trial court pronounced Bollywood superstar Salman Khan guilty in the two-decade-old Blackbuck poaching case.
He was sentenced to five years in Jodhpur Central Jail along with a penalty of Rs 10,000.
The other accused in the case and his co-stars from Hum Saath Saath Hai – Neelam, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Dushyant – were acquitted by the court.
Timeline of the Blackbuck Case
While Bollywood has been in shock over the verdict, wildlife activists have expressed their satisfaction.
Let's look at the timeline of this 20-year-old case.
- 1998: Salman, Neelam, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Dushyant start shooting for the film 'Hum Saath Saath Hai'.
- Salman Khan and his co-stars accused of shooting three chinkaras and two blackbucks between 26 September and 3 October.
- 2 October, 1998: The Bishnoi community files an FIR against Salman and his co-stars.
- 12 October, 1998: Salman gets arrested, 4 cases filed against the stars of the six 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam' under Wildlife Protection and the Arms Acts.
- 17 October, 1998: Salman gets bail after five days of imprisonment in Jodhpur Central Jail.
What Next?
Salman was also charged with two other cases of poaching Chinkara deer and blackbucks in Bhawad and Mathania villages respectively, but he was acquitted in both the cases by the Rajasthan High Court.
So it is expected that he will appeal to the High Court yet again against this conviction.
The members of the Bishnoi community too are expected to appeal to the High Court over the acquittal of Salman's co-stars in the case.
Bollywood’s Bad Boy
This is not the first case against Bollywood's bad boy. Previously he was been accused of driving under the influence of alcohol, getting into fights, and even abusing his ex-girlfriend and Bollywood beauty queen Aishwarya Rai.
In 2002, he was involved in a hit-and-run incident that killed one, and left four injured. In 2008, Salman got into a brawl with his colleague Shahrukh Khan at Katrina Kaif's birthday party.
Yet despite all these incidents, Salman Khan continues to reign as one of the most popular male actors of Bollywood.
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