Blackbuck poaching case: Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali freed; Bishnoi Sabha to challenge acquittal

A Jodhpur court on Thursday convicted Bollywood actor Salman Khan in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case and awarded two years of imprisonment. The court, however, acquitted other accused Bollywood celebrities - Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam Kothari and Sonali Bendre of the charges.

Salman was found guilty of killing two blackbucks in a Jodhpur village during the shooting of his movie Hum Saath Saath Hain in 1998. The actors were facing charges under the Section 9/51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act.

A fifth person, Dushyant Singh, a local who took Salaman Khan and others to the jungle in a Gypsy car, has also been acquitted, said Mahipal Bishnoi, the prosecution counsel.

Following the court's order, the Bishnoi Sabha has decided to appeal against the acquittal of the Saif Ali Khan and three other co-accused.

"We'll analyse the judgement. We want an immediate appeal to be filed against those who have been acquitted and we also demand maximum punishment for Salman Khan," said Rampal Bhawad, state president, Bishnoi Tigers Vanya Evam Paryavaran Sanstha.

Earlier in the morning, dressed in a black shirt, Salman reached the court with his bodyguard. The other actors, some of them accompanied by their family members, were also in the courtroom when the verdict was read out.

All the actors were in a Gypsy that night with Salman, 52, in the driving seat. He spotted a herd of blackbucks and killed two of them, the lawyer said. The blackbuck that Salman killed is an endangered species and is protected under the Indian Wildlife Act.

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