Black buck poaching case: Rajasthan HC to hear Salman Khan’s appeal on September 22

The Rajasthan High Court on Monday fixed September 22 to hear actor Salman Khan’s appeal against his conviction in a black buck poaching case.

Justice Manoj Kumar Garg would hear Khan’s appeal along with the state government’s leave to appeal against the acquittal of the co-accused, including Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre, Neelam and a local Dushyant Singh.

The trial court convicted the actor and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment on April 5, 2018.

The development in the high court took place after both petitions were clubbed and listed for hearing following the transfer of Khan’s appeal to the high court from the district and sessions court.

“Salman Khan’s lawyers had earlier filed a transfer petition in the high court against his sentence from the district and session court, so that the appeal filed against him could be clubbed with the appeal filed by the state government,” said prosecution’s counsel Mahipal Bishnoi.

The transfer was delayed due to some technical reasons and hence the hearing in both the appeals had been stalled since long, he added.

In 1998, during the shooting of the film “Hum Saath Saath Hain”, Khan was accused of hunting two blackbucks in Kankani village of Jodhpur district.  While Khan, the main accused, was sentenced by the chief judicial magistrate’s court (Jodhpur district), Saif Ali Khan, Bendre, Tabu, Neelam, and Singh were acquitted.

Khan filed a criminal appeal against his conviction whereas the state government filed a leave to appeal against the acquittal of the co-accused persons.