In a key development in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, the Rajasthan High Court on Friday directed that all pending appeals, including those involving Bollywood actor Salman Khan and other film personalities, be listed together for hearing on July 28.
The appeals include the state government’s challenge to the acquittal of actors Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Neelam, and Tabu, as well as Salman Khan’s own appeal against his conviction.
The case traces back to the alleged killing of two blackbucks in Kankani village near Jodhpur in September 1998, during the shooting of the film Ham Saath Saath Hain. On April 5, 2018, a trial court convicted Salman Khan and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment, while acquitting his co-accused — the four actors and local resident Dushyant Singh.
Following the conviction, Salman Khan filed an appeal in the sessions court challenging the verdict. At the same time, the Rajasthan government moved a leave-to-appeal petition before the High Court against the acquittal of the co-accused. The High Court admitted the state’s plea and issued notices to the parties.
Subsequently, Salman Khan sought a transfer of his appeal to the High Court, arguing that both matters were part of the same trial and should be adjudicated together. The court accepted the transfer request.
However, despite both appeals being before the High Court, proceedings saw little movement. Advocate Mahipal Bishnoi, representing the original complainants, submitted a request on Friday to have both matters listed for hearing. “We prayed in the court today to list both appeals for hearing,” Bishnoi stated.
Acting on the submission, Justice Manoj Kumar Garg directed the clubbing of the two appeals and ordered them to be listed for hearing on July 28.
