Blackbuck case: Rajasthan govt to appeal against acquittal of Saif, Sonali Bendre, Tabu, Neelam

The Vasundhara Raje government’s decision comes five months after a Jodhpur court held Bollywood actor Salman Khan guilty and awarded him five years in jail in the 1998 case and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000.

The Rajasthan government on Saturday said it would appeal before the High Court against the acquittal of actors Sonali Bendre, Neelam Kothari, Tabu, Saif Ali Khan and others in the Blackbuck poaching case, ANI reported. The Vasundhara Raje government’s decision comes five months after a Jodhpur court acquitted the four actors while awarding Salman Khan a five-year prison sentence in the 1998 case and also imposed a fine of Rs 10,000.
Rajasthan resident Dushyant Singh, who was allegedly accompanying the actors when the poaching took place, was also acquitted due to lack of evidence.

The case against Salman Khan dates back to October 1998, when he was accused of killing two blackbucks in Kankani village in Jodhpur while shooting for the film “Hum Saath Saath Hain.” Khan was charged under Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act and the other actors were charged under section 51 read with section 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

After being sentenced on April 5, Khan had to spend two nights at Jodhpur Central Jail before he was released on bail. In August, a Jodhpur sessions court put travel restrictions on Salman Khan and asked the actor to seek its permission before leaving the country.

Following the verdict, the Bishnoi community had expressed displeasure over the acquittal of the four actors and had said they would appeal against their exoneration and send a representation to the government.