Salman Khan blackbuck poaching case: Neelam's husband says justice not done

The Salman Khan Blackbuck poaching case might be approaching its end, with a Jodhpur court on Thursday sentencing the Bollywood actor to five years in jail in a 1998 case. The other four actors who were co-accused – Sonali Bendre, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, and Neelam – were acquitted of all charges. The hearing of Salman Khan's bail application in the poaching case will take place on Friday.

Salman, 52, was found guilty under Section 9/51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, for killing two blackbucks, an endangered species whose hunting is prohibited by law. The incident took place in Kankani village near Jodhpur on October 1-2, 1998, during the shooting of the Bollywood film Hum Saath Saath Hain.

At present, three big movie projects – Race 3, Bharat, and Dabangg 3 – as well as a comeback season of the reality TV show Dus Ka Dum are riding on Salman's shoulders.

After Thursday’s verdict, Khan is being taken to the Jodhpur Central Jail. If the jail sentence had been less than three years, the actor could have applied for bail in the same court. However, he would now have to approach the sessions court on Friday for bail.

The trial of the case had been in progress for 19 years. The judge in a Jodhpur court had on March 28 reserved his order after hearing the final arguments. The actor's case was represented by defence counsel Hastimal Saraswat. The judgment was pronounced by Chief Justice Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri at a hearing attended by Salman's sisters Alvira and Arpita.

Meanwhile, the Jeev Raksha Bishnoi Sabha on Thursday protested the court decision to acquit the other co-accused in the case. Their acquittal would be challenged in the high court, said Shivraj Bishnoi, state president of the organisation.