Salman Khan blackbuck poaching case: Actor misses Jodhpur Court summon; next date of hearing set as 19 December

Salman Khan will not appear before the Jodhpur Court on Friday, according to an India Today television report. The actor's lawyers state that he is currently busy with the shooting of his next film Dabangg 3. The actor was summoned by the court for the hearing in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case. The next date of hearing has been set as 19 December.

File image of Salman Khan arriving at Jodhpur court

Back in July, the judge had expressed displeasure over the fact that Salman has been absent ever since the sessions began. He had asked the actor's lawyer to ensure his presence in court for the 27 September hearing 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.

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The District and Sessions Court in Jodhpur was 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 he could escape from the Indian law but not from the law of the 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. In May, Rajasthan High Court issued a notice to Saif, Sonali, Neelam, Tabu, and Dushyant on a plea filed by the government against their acquittal by a Chief Judicial Magistrate or district court in the blackbuck poaching case.