Black Buck Poaching case: Jodhpur High Court issues notice to Saif Ali Khan & others

Jaipur: Jodhpur High Court on Monday issued a notice to Bollywood actor Saif Ali Khan and other actors on an appeal by state government challenging their acquittal in the sensational Black Buck poaching case by a local court.

Bollywood actress Sonali Bendre, Neelam Kothari, Tabu and businessman Dushyant Singh are the other persons who have been issued the notice by the Jodhpur High Court in connection with the 1998 Black Buck Poaching case.

The High Court issued the notice to the Bollywood stars and the businessman after the Rajasthan government challenged their acquittal in the case by a local court.

It is worthwhile to mention here that Saif, Sonali, Neelam, Tabu and Dushyant were acquitted in the case while Salman Khan was convicted Under Section 9/51 of the Wildlife Protection Act on April 5 last year. He was awarded a five-year prison sentence along with a fine of Rs 10,000. However, he was granted the bail on a bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount after spending two nights in the Jodhpur Central Jail.

Salman Khana’s appeal against the sentence will be heard by the court on April 3 this year.

While hunting of the rare species is prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act, the Bollywood stars were accused of poaching two black bucks in Kankani village near Jodhpur on the intervening night of October 1-2, 1998. They were in the area to shoot Hum Saath Saath Hain.