The Jodhpur High Court issued a notice to Bollywood actors Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Neelam Kothari, Tabu and Dushyant Singh in connection with the 1998 Blackbuck poaching case.
Jodhpur: The Blackbuck case has become an albatross around the neck of Bollywood actors Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre and Tabu. The trio have been issued a notice by the Jodhpur High Court in a case related to the hunting of two blackbucks in 1996 during their shoot of Bollywood film Hum Saath Saath Hain.
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News agency Asian News International (ANI) shared the news on their Twitter account. Their tweet read, “Black Buck Poaching case: Jodhpur High Court issues a notice to Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Neelam Kothari, Tabu and Dushyant Singh on an appeal by state govt challenging their acquittal in the case by a local court.”
A local from that area has issued a notice for two others, actor Neelam Kothari and Dushyant Singh. The Rajasthan government has appealed against the acquittal of all five people by a Jodhpur court in 2018.
Black Buck Poaching case: Jodhpur High Court issues a notice to Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Neelam Kothari, Tabu and Dushyant Singh on an appeal by state govt challenging their acquittal in the case by a local court. #Rajasthan pic.twitter.com/ugq6ncUn6n
— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2019
While Saif, Sonali, Neelam, Tabu and Dushyant were acquitted in the case on April 5 last year, Salman Khan was convicted Under Section 9/51 of the Wildlife Protection Act. He had faced a five-year prison sentence along with a fine of Rs 10,000.
According to reports, Salman spent two nights in the Jodhpur Central Jail, he was granted bail on a bond of Rs 50,000 and two sureties of the same amount.
FYI, hunting of blackbucks, a rare species, is prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act. The antelope is found mainly in India and is extinct in Bangladesh. Presently, only small, scattered herds of the animals can be seen today that are largely confined to protected areas.
Last Updated Mar 11, 2019, 5:22 PM IST