Salman Khan blackbuck poaching case: Hearing of appeal against five-year sentence postponed to 3 April

Actor Salman Khan’s appeal against the CJM Rural Court ruling in the Blackbuck case has been adjourned till 3 April. The actor had challenged his five-year jail sentence for killing endangered blackbucks in 1998. [caption id=“attachment_4419233” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] File image of Salman Khan arriving at Jodhpur court[/caption] “Salman Khan’s appeal against the sentencing was supposed to be heard today, but it has been postponed due to the court being busy,” advocate Sushma Dhara told ANI, adding that the date has been postponed to 3 April. The appeal against Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam and Sonali Bendre by the Bishnoi community, and the government’s appeal against acquitting Salman Khan for the possession of illegal arms too has been postponed till 3 April. The cases were supposed to be heard by district judge Chandra Kumar Sonagara. Notably, in October 1998, total three cases in connection with poaching and one under the Arms Act were registered against Salman. The 52-year-old actor allegedly shot two blackbucks in Bhagoda ki Dhani in Kankani village near Jodhpur during the shooting of Hum Saath Saath Hain. Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam were also present in the vehicle Salman allegedly used for hunting the endangered species protected under Schedule 1 of the Indian Wildlife Act. Salman was charged under Section 51 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act and others under Section 51 read with Section 149 (unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code.