On Monday (21 March), the Rajasthan High Court granted permission to have two petitions transferred to it from the Jodhpur District and Sessions court pertaining to the 1998 blackbuck poaching case in which actor Salman Khan is an accused. It agreed to hear all appeals filed against the Magistrate verdict in relation to the case. Salman, the complainant and the State had separately challenged the verdict.
Salman had filed for the transfer so that the two petitions can be heard in the High Court along with another that is pending. The ruling came despite actor Tabu's opposition that it would prejudice the case of the five acquitted. Tabu was also named an accused in the case.
The State’s counsel didn’t object to the petitions being transferred to the Rajasthan High Court.
Salman’s counsel HM Saraswat was quoted by PTI as saying, “After a brief hearing, Justice PS Bhati granted permission to transfer the two petitions to the high court, where one petition by the state is already pending. Hearing of all these cases will now take place at one place, which will save valuable time,
In 2018, a trial court had convicted Salman Khan and awarded a five-year prison sentence to him for the killing of two blackbucks during the shoot of the film Hum Saath Saath Hain in 1998. Actors Saif Ali Khan, Neelam Kothari, Tabu, and Sonali Bendre, who were also present in Kankani with him were acquitted.
1998 Blackbuck Case: The Three Petitions
While Salman Khan had challenged his conviction in the sessions court, the State had filed a petition challenging Salman’s acquittal in the case registered against him under the Arms Act. Salman had argued that he was only in possession of air rifles that couldn’t have been used to kill an animal.
The prosecution, on the other hand, argued that the actor had two firearms and had used them, alleging that the licences for the arms had expired. The Jodhpur CJM (Chief Judicial Magistrate) had held, in 2017, that the prosecution couldn’t present convincing evidence and had acquitted the actor.
The State had also challenged the acquittal of the actors present with Salman and the plea’s hearing is pending in the High Court.
HM Saraswat told PTI, "While all these three different petitions belonged to the same matter, we had prayed for transferring the two petitions pending in the District & Session court to the high court so that all the three matters could be heard in the same court.”
(With inputs from Bar & Bench)
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