A Jodhpur court has ordered Bollywood actor Salman Khan to appear before it on Friday (27 September) in a case related to the alleged poaching of two blackbucks in Rajasthan’s Kankani village over two decades ago, reports NDTV .
Actor Salman Khan asked by a Jodhpur court to appear tomorrow in the blackbuck poaching case pic.twitter.com/GLvM5tdocR
— NDTV (@ndtv) September 26, 2019
The report further states that judge has expressed displeasure over the fact that Salman has been absent ever since the sessions began. He then asked the actor’s lawyer to ensure his presence in court for the upcoming hearing on Friday, or “risk facing cancellation of his bail”.
Earlier this month, the state government had filed a plea in the Rajasthan High Court challenging the acquittal. The actor, who was convicted under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and awarded a five-year prison term, was later granted bail.
The District and Sessions Court in Jodhpur is hearing his appeal against a sessions court verdict that granted him five-year imprisonment.
The Blackbuck Poaching Case has been going on for two decades and recently resurfaced when a Facebook post sent Salman a death threat over the same. A Facebook post targeting Salman surfaced and the investigation is on. The threat issued on a Facebook page was posted by an account named Gary Shooter. The message in Hindi posted on a group called ‘Sopu’ warned Salman that he could escape from Indian law but not from the law of Bishnoi community. The police said they were investigating the matter .
In 1998, Salman, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu, Neelam Kothari and a local Dushyant Singh had allegedly killed two blackbucks in Jodhpur during the shooting of his 1998 blockbuster Hum Saath Saath Hain