Blackbuck poaching case: Salman Khan guilty, Saif and others acquitted
Jodhpur: Bollywood actor Salman Khan was pronounced guilty by a Jodhpur court on Thursday in a case related to blackbuck poaching filed against him in 1998. The other co-accused in the case – Sonali Bendre, Saif Ali Khan, Neelam and Tabu – have been acquitted. Salman Khan was accused of killing two blackbucks in Kankani village, Jodhpur, during the shooting of “Hum Saath Saath Hain”.
On October 2, 1998, a complaint was registered by the Bishnoi community of Rajasthan against the actors, for allegedly hunting down two blackbucks during the filming of the movie. According to the complaint, Salman was accused of killing two blackbucks in Bhagoda ki Dhani near Jodhpur on the intervening night of October 1-2, 1998. He was also charged for possessing a weapon with an expired license.
“All of them were in a Gypsy car that night, with Salman Khan in the driving seat. He, on spotting a herd of black bucks, shot at and killed two of them,” public prosecutor Bhawani Singh Bhati had said. “But on being spotted and chased, they fled from the spot leaving the dead animals there,” he said, adding that there was adequate evidence against them. Besides the actors, the case involved two more accused, Dushyant Singh, who was allegedly accompanying the actors when the poaching took place, and Dinesh Gawre, said to be Salman Khan’s assistant.
The trial of the case was in progress for the last 19 years and Judge Dev Kumar Khatri had reserved the order for today after the final arguments on March 28.
Salman was facing charges under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and the other actors have been charged under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act read with Section 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code. Under Section 51, enforcement can be performed by agencies such as the Forest Department, the Police, the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), the Customs and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). Chargesheets can be filed directly by the Forest Department.
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Minor girl kidnapped and raped; main accused and two cafe owners held
Latur (PTI): A minor girl was allegedly kidnapped and raped by an 18-year-old man in Latur, leading to the arrest of the main accused and owners of two cafes where the crime occurred on December 4, police said on Saturday.
Police traced the girl within hours of registering the complaint. The accused, identified as Rihan Gulab Shaikh, was arrested based on the girl's complaint. Two others are owners of two cafes where the crime occurred, police said.
Police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS), POCSO Act, and the Prevention of Atrocities Act, an official said.
