Actor Salman Khan, 52, was sentenced to 5 years in jail by a trial court in Jodhpur, Rajasthan on 5 April in the 1998 Blackbuck poaching case. A penalty of Rs 10,000 has also been levied on him. Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam Kothari, who were Salman’s co-stars in the movie Hum Saath Saath Hain and co-accused in the crime, were acquitted.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri, while pronouncing the guilty verdict in the case of killing the protected antelopes, called Salman a "habitual offender" under the wildlife protection laws of the country.
The judgement by the court didn’t go down very well with the star’s fans. The Quint was outside Galaxy Apartments, Bandra, Mumbai where fans from across the country arrived to support their Bhaijaan. While some felt that the government was to blame for the verdict, others felt it was plain unfair. Salman is a good human being, they say, and doesn’t deserve this. They are praying for his release from the jail.
The actors were accused of hunting two Blackbucks in Kankani village near Jodhpur, Rajasthan on the night of October 1 and 2, 1998.
Salman, had earlier pleaded innocence in the case, claiming before the court that the Blackbucks died of natural causes. Amid tight security, Salman was taken to the Jodhpur Central Jail where he will spend at least a night in barrack number one. The prison houses rape-accused Asaram Bapu, Bhanwari Devi murder accused Malkhan Singh Vishnoi and Shambhu Lal Regar, arrested for killing a Muslim and blatantly filming the act.
The actor’s bail papers have been prepared and the hearing for the same will take place on the morning of 6 April. If the bail is rejected, he would have to stay in jail for three more days.
Editor: Veeru Krishan Mohan
Camera: Sanjoy Deb
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