The Jodhpur court adjourned the hearing to July 17 for the Bollywood actor Salman Khan. The actor had furnished a plea challenging the trial court order sentencing him to a five-year jail term in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case.
As per directions, the actor appeared in the court today, complying with the court directions given on April 7. On May 7, the actor was asked to appear before the court to hear his plea for suspension of sentence. The judge also instructed the actor to stay in the country and not leave without court’s permission.
District and Sessions Judge Chandra Kumar Songara adjourned the hearing after the defence counsel Mahesh Bora sought time to begin arguments.
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The actor is currently out on bail. He was sentenced to death and spent two nights in jail starting April 7. However, later, District and Sessions Judge Ravindra Kumar Joshi granted him bail. If rumors are to be believed, the judge was shuffled just in time, to ensure smooth sailing for the actor. Joshi was transferred to Sirohi and was replaced by Songara.
The bail was ordered for a month in response to his plea application for suspension of sentence against his conviction.
The whole incident dates back to October 1, 1998 when the actor and his friends including Tabu, Saif Ali Khan, Neelam and Sonali Bendre, etc. were caught killing blackbucks. Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri sentenced Khan to five years in prison for killing two blackbucks on April 5. The incident took place during the shooting of “Hum Saath Saath Hain” in Kankani village near Jodhpur at night.
His peers have been acquitted from the punishment. However, the animal protection associations have vowed that they will not the alleged convict go easy.
What happens in this case and what’s the fate of Salman Khan, this only time can tell. His fans might also have a tough time dealing with the menace, but for now, we can only wait for the next hearing on July 17.
