Salman Khan Convicted By Jodhpur Court; Saif, Tabu, Sonali, Neelam Acquitted
The movie stars were accused of poaching blackbucks in Kankani village near Jodhpur on October 1-2, 1998, during the shooting of Hum Saath Saath Hain movie.
The Jodhpur court today pronounced its verdict in the 1998 black buck poaching case, in which Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam are accused. While Saif, Sonali, Tabu and Neelam were acquitted by the court, Salman was convicted Under Section 9/51 of the Wildlife Protection Act. The court is expected to deliver the quantum of punishment soon.
The maximum sentence is six years, but Salman’s lawyers requested a minimal sentence and early probation, while the prosecution was asking for the maximum quantum of punishment. If Salman is sentenced to less than three years, he can be immediately granted bail and given a month to appeal his sentence at a higher court. However, if he is given a sentence of more than three years, he would be immediately transferred to Jodhpur’s jail barracks, pending further appeals.
The final arguments in the case were completed in a Jodhpur rural court on March 28. Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri had reserved the judgment for April 5 thereafter.
