Rajasthan Government Challenges Acquittal of Saif Ali Khan, Tabu in 1998 Blackbuck Poaching Case
Now, the state government has challenged that acquittal in the High Court, seeking a re-examination of the trial court’s findings.
Blackbuck Poaching Case Latest News Today: The long-running legal saga surrounding the 1998 blackbuck poaching case has taken a fresh turn, with the Rajasthan government moving the High Court to challenge the acquittal of Bollywood actors Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam, Sonali Bendre, and local resident Dushyant Singh.
The leave-to-appeal petition was heard on Friday in the court of Justice Manoj Kumar Garg, who instructed that the matter be clubbed with other pending related cases. The next hearing has been scheduled for July 28.
According to government counsel Mahipal Vishnoi, the poaching incident allegedly occurred on October 1, 1998, in Kankani village, near Jodhpur, during the shooting of the Hindi film Hum Saath-Saath Hain.
In a significant verdict on April 5, 2018, actor Salman Khan was found guilty and sentenced to five years in prison by a trial court. However, the co-accused—Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam, Sonali Bendre, and Dushyant Singh—were acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
Now, the state government has challenged that acquittal in the High Court, seeking a re-examination of the trial court’s findings. The appeal is also expected to address matters related to transfer petitions and the sentencing awarded to Salman Khan.
Timeline of the Case
The blackbuck poaching case dates back to 1998, when a First Information Report (FIR) was filed alleging that the actors hunted endangered blackbucks while filming in Rajasthan. Over the years, the case has seen multiple developments across different courts:
On April 5, 2018, Salman Khan was convicted and sent to Jodhpur Central Jail.
He was granted conditional bail on April 7, 2018, after depositing ₹50,000.
In another related case, the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) sentenced Khan to five years in prison on April 10, 2006, which was overturned by the Rajasthan High Court on July 25, 2016.
The state government subsequently challenged the acquittal in the Supreme Court, where the case remains pending.
Khan was also sentenced to one year by the CJM on February 17, 2006, in a separate but connected matter; this too was later overturned by the High Court.
The Rajasthan government has appealed both these decisions before the Supreme Court.
Additionally, Khan faced charges under the Arms Act for illegal possession of weapons allegedly used during the poaching, but was acquitted in January 2017.
What's Next?
With the Rajasthan government now challenging the acquittals of the other Bollywood celebrities, the case is set to be reopened for judicial scrutiny. If the High Court admits the appeal, the actors could once again face legal proceedings in the two-decade-old wildlife protection case.
The case continues to be one of the most high-profile wildlife crime cases in India, drawing public and legal attention due to the involvement of major Bollywood personalities and its implications for wildlife conservation laws.
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