 "CP Radhakrishnan takes oath as Vice President of India")
 "Wife and son watching, Indian-origin man beheaded at US motel; suspect illegal migrant, arrested")
Salman Khan blackbuck poaching case updates: Actor Salman Khan was on Saturday granted bail by a district and sessions court in Jodhpur in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case in which he has been sentenced to five years in jail. Immediately after his release, Khan, 52, was driven under police escort to the airport in Jodhpur, a police official said. Khan walked out of the jail after the prison authorities received the court papers granting him bail, the official said. Khan is now en route Mumbai. District and Sessions Judge Ravindra Kumar Joshi heard the arguments of prosecution and defence which lasted for about an hour and pronounced the order at around 3 pm, a defence counsel said. Khan’s sisters — Alvira and Arpita — were present during the hearing. The actor had spent two nights in the Jodhpur Central Jail after his sentencing on Thursday. The actor was convicted by a trial court and sentenced to five years in prison for killing two blackbucks during the shooting of “Hum Saath Saath Hain” in Jodhpur. Salman Khan granted bail by Jodhpur Court on surety of Rs 50,000, reports News18. As per latest reports, the bail plea order pronouncement has now been pushed to 3 pm. Earlier on Saturday, both prosecution and defense arguments were concluded in the Jodhpur court, before the judge said he would reserve the order till after lunch. The Jodhpur Sessions Court is likely to pronounce actor Salman Khan’s bail plea order by 3 pm. Earlier on Saturday, both prosecution and defense arguments were concluded, before the judge announced he would reserve the order till after lunch. The actor has already spent two nights in the Jodhpur Central Jail since he was convicted in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case on Thursday. The prosecution on Saturday argued that Salman Khan’s bail plea application should be rejected on the basis of eyewitness accounts, which they said proves the actor’s guilt in killing two blackbucks in October 1998. The defense counsel, on the hand, argued that the eyewitness accounts are not true and filled with several discrepancies. Day two of actor Salman Khan’s bail plea hearing has begun on Saturday morning with Judge Ravindra Kumar Joshi to continue preside over the court proceedings. District and Sessions judge Ravindra Kumar Joshi will be hearing Salman Khan’s’s bail plea on Saturday. The routine transfer of judges will not impact the bail plea, say reports. Ahead of Salman Khan’s bail hearing on Saturday, Sessions judge Ravindra Kumar Joshi was transferred overnight, along with 87 other district judges. He has been transferred from Jodhpur to Siroh. According to
NDTV
, he will be replaced by Chandra Kumar Songara, district and sessions judge of Bhilwara. Bollywood actor Salman Khan spent another night in a prison in Jodhpur after a court on Friday decided to reserve its order on his bail plea until Saturday. The actor, who was on Thursday convicted by a trial court and sentenced to five years in prison in a 1998 blackbuck poaching case, spent a second night in the Jodhpur Central Jail. [caption id=“attachment_4419577” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]
File image of Salman Khan at the Jodhpur court. PTI[/caption] The district and sessions court heard arguments on the suspension of sentence and bail application before deferring the matter till Saturday. The defence and prosecution will present their arguments at 10.30 am on Saturday. The magistrate Ravindra Kumar Joshi also sought the record of the case from the lower court. In his arguments, defence counsel Mahesh Bora said there were various loopholes in the investigation. He argued that no investigation in any of the cases of poaching proved that Salman used firearms. “We have argued that the eyewitness in the case was not reliable,” Bora said, adding, “It was never proved that he had firearms. Even the pellets recovered from him did not corroborate the story of the prosecution. Also, the first post-mortem report was completely dumped.” “Besides this, he (Salman Khan) has been acquitted in all the other cases of poaching on the basis of the prosecution’s failure to prove the allegations and in such a condition, his sentence should be suspended,” he argued. But objecting to the defence counsel’s arguments, public prosecutor Pokar Ram Bishnoi urged the court to seek the record of the case from the trial court and go through it. He argued that this was the only case where an eyewitness was available and the prosecution has succeeded in proving the crime beyond any doubt. The actor is alleged to have shot and killed blackbucks in Kankani village near Jodhpur on the night of 1 October, 1998 during the shooting of the film “Hum Saath Saath Hain”. While convicting Salman, the trial court acquitted his Bollywood colleagues Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam and Sonali Bendre and a local, Dushyant Singh, giving them the “benefit of doubt” for the incident in October 1998. Meanwhile, the Bollywood star’s sisters, Alvira and Arpita, met him in the jail. Later, Preity Zinta, who has acted with Salman Khan in several films, also paid him a visit. According to jail superintendent Vikram Singh, Zinta visited Salman Khan in the afternoon. A meeting was arranged in the visitor’s room, where they had a chat for about half an hour. With inputs from agencies
Salman Khan blackbuck poaching case updates: Actor gets emotional greeting fans from his home in Mumbai
Bollywood actor Salman Khan was Saturday released from the Jodhpur jail after being granted bail by a district and sessions court in Jodhpur in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case.
)
Salman Khan waves to fans from his home in Mumbai, gets emotional while greeting fans
Salman Khan addresses fans from his residence after being released from the Jodhpur jail on Saturday. He is accompanied by his mother Salma, father Salim and sister Arpita’s son Ahil. #SalmanGetsBail pic.twitter.com/8LCwkNk6ua
— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 7, 2018
Visuals of Salman Khan reaching Galaxy Apartments
Salman Khan reaches his residence, the Galaxy Apartments in Mumbai. Crowds roar for their hero after he returns home after spending 2 days in the Jodhpur Central jail in the #BlackbuckPoachingCase . @shilparathnam from ground zero. #SalmanGetsBail pic.twitter.com/xgTdbiZqsS
— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 7, 2018
Salman reaches Galaxy Apartments
Salman Khan reaches Galaxy Apartments, reports India Today. The report adds that his younger brother Sohail Khan had accompanied Salman in his car on his way home. Fans crowded the area and began bursting crackers as the actor reached his house.
PETA condemns Salman Khan being granted bail in blackbuck poaching case
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India has condemned the decision of a Jodhpur Court to grant bail to actor Salman Khan in connection with the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, reports ANI .
“While Salman Khan gets to go back home to his movie star life for now, blackbucks were made to pay the highest price, with their lives,” PETA India CEO Manilal Valliyate said in a statement.
Terming the decision in the actor’s case “unusual,” the NGO states that “these days, wildlife crime matters are commonly fast-tracked, bail is often denied, and offenders regularly receive seven-year prison sentences.”
Salman Khan’s sister Arpita and Alvira and his bodyguard Shera accompany him as he makes his way home
Salman Khan reaches Mumbai after spending 48 hours in Jodhpur Central jail in the #BlackbuckPoachingCase . The star is accompanied by sisters Arpita, Alvira and bodyguard Shera. #SalmanGetsBail pic.twitter.com/k0jJ0QzKBG
— News18 (@CNNnews18) April 7, 2018
Visuals of Salman Khan reaching Mumbai
A slew of celebrities extend their wishes to Salman Khan after he got bail
Comedian Rajpal Yadav says he is ‘relieved’ to hear about Salman Khan being given bail
Chronology of blackbuck poaching case in which Salman Khan was granted bail:
1-2 October, 1998: Poaching of two blackbucks in Kankani. Forest department registers a complaint on 2 October.
Accused in the case: 7 (Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Neelma, Tabu, Dushyant Singh and Dinesh Gawre).
Eyewitnesses: 4 (Chhogaram, Poonam Chand, Sheraram and Mangilal).
9 November, 2000: Cognisance and registration of case before Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM).
19 February, 2006: Following arguments, charges framed against all accused. Repeated revision petitions, first by the defence in sessions court and then by the prosecution in high court, hold up the trial for seven years.
23 March, 2013: Trial court frames revised charges against all accused.
23 May, 2013: Trial begins in CJM court. Total prosecution witnesses deposed before court during trial: 28
13 January, 2017: Deposition completes in the trial court.
27 January, 2017: All accused appear in court to record statements.
13 September, 2017: Prosecution begins final arguments in trial court.
28 October, 2017: Defence begins final arguments.
24 March, 2018: Trial court completes final arguments.
28 March, 2018: Trial court reserves order.
5 April, 2018: Order pronounced.
7 April, 2018: Salman Khan granted bail in blackbuck poaching case; he was sentenced to five years in jail. —PTI
Bishnoi Tiger Force president expresses disappointment over blackbuck poaching case vedict
Rampal Bhawad, state president of Bishnoi Tiger Force, said they are disappointed with the decision of the court to grant bail to Salman Khan and said they planned to challenge it in the high court.
The Bishnoi Samaj had registered the complaint against Salman for killing the two blackbucks 20 years back as they consider the blackbuck to be the reincarnation of their religious Guru Bhagwan Jambeshwar, also known as Jambaji.
Salman Khan will also have to appear in the court on 7 May — exactly a month after his bail, said a defence counsel. —IANS
Visuals of Salman Khan’s supporters gathering outside Jodhpur Court to celebrate his bail. PTI
Earlier visuals of Salman Khan coming out of Jodhpur Central Jail. The actor’s plane has now departed and he will be reaching Mumbai soon.
Visuals of Salman Khan reaching Jodhpur airport
Thanks to security measures in transit, Salman Khan reaches Jodhpur airport in just about seven minutes, reports India Today
#SalmanWalksFree @BeingSalmanKhan fans erupt with joy as ‘Tiger’ gets bail. @Sushant_IToday joins us from outside Jodhpur Central Jail for more on this. #ITVideo https://t.co/NounxnP7mg pic.twitter.com/0is9g0gmoi
— India Today (@IndiaToday) April 7, 2018
Visuals of Salman Khan leaving Jodhpur Central Jail
“Prayers of millions worked,” television actor Arjun Bijlani says about Salman Khan being granted bail
Relatives of Jodhpur Central Jail prisoners say police isn’t letting them meet their relatives inside jail where Salman Khan was lodged
“Procedure at the jail premises is over. We are arranging security at the airport and security in transit. Once that is done, we will move him,” Amandeep Singh Kapoor, DCP (East) Jodhpur on Salman Khan’s release
Anees Bazmee says he wants Salman Khan to be ‘free at the earliest’
Director Anees Bazmee, who has worked with Salman Khan on “No Entry”, hopes the “Sultan” star will soon be out of this case. “I am very very happy. He is a family, a very dear friend so I wanted me to be free at the earliest from all this. At the same time, we have to follow the law of the land. We are hopeful the higher court will look at things properly and he will be out of this soon,” he said to PTI.
Salman Khan’s bodyguard Shera reaches Jodhpur’s Central Jail, reports News18 reporter Saahil Menghani
Here are other Bollywood personalities who brushed with the law
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, slapped with a five-year jail term for the Rajasthan blackbuck killing case — and now given bail — is one in a long list of film personalities who have had a serious brush with the law, grabbing headlines over the years.
Immediately prior to this, his friend and another “bhai” Sanjay Dutt virtually created history by becoming the first major film personality to be convicted and also one to complete his full jail sentence. Dutt was sentenced to five years by the Supreme Court for illegal possession of weapons after the bloody Mumbai communal carnage of Decemebr 1992-Januarry 1993 and its fallout in the form of the 12 March 1993 serial bomb blasts, India’s biggest terror strike till date which left 257 dead.
In June 2009, Bollywood was shocked when actor Shiney Ahuja was arrested on charges of raping his maid-servant.
Actor Sooraj Pancholi, son of Bollywood actor-couple Aditya Pancholi and Zarina Wahab is embroiled in a case of abetment of suicide of British-American actress Jiah Khan, who was found dead at home in June 2013. The matter is in the courts.
Read more hereMuch deserved relief for Salman Khan and his family, actor Aftab Shivdasani on Salman Khan being granted bail
Salman Khan to appear before court on 7 May to hear plea for suspension of sentence
District and Sessions Judge Ravindra Kumar Joshi has asked actor Salman Khan to appear before the court on 7 May, when it will hear his plea for suspension of sentence, reports PTI
Cricketer Shoaib Akhtar expresses relief at Salman Khan being granted bail, says his ‘heart bleeds for humanity’
Shoaib Akhtar had esrlier been upset that his “friend” Salman Khan has been sentenced to five years in prison in a case of poaching blackbucks. He found the punishment harsh but said that people must respect the decision of honourable court of India.
Rahul Dev congratulates ‘Good Samaritan’ Salman Khan on getting bail
No chartered flight booked to fly Salman Khan out of Jodhpur yet
According to News18, no chartered flight has been booked to fly Salman Khan out of the city, following the actor being granted bail by the Jodhpur Sessions Court. The last commercial flight departs from Jodhpur at 5 pm.
Salman Khan’s “Dabangg” co-actor Sonu Sood tweets, “A good deed is the best prayer. Welcome brother Salman Khan.”
Heavy police deployment outside Galaxy Apartments, Salman Khan’s residence in Mumbai. Fans await the actor’s return from Jodhpur today
#BlackBuckPoachingCase : Visuals from outside Salman Khan’s Galaxy apartment in Mumbai. Heavy police deployment as fans wait for the actor to return tonight #SalmanKhan pic.twitter.com/kxwNEVSkfA
— Bollywood Bubble (@bollybubble) April 7, 2018
Singer Adnan Sami, who composed the music of Salman Khan’s “Lucky: No Time for Love” said, “So happy for the bail of my dear brother Salman Khan . Relieved. Come home. JAI HO!”
Race 3 crew rejoices bail being given to Salman Khan
Director of Salman’s upcoming film “Race 3", Remo D’Souza, told PTI, “I am happy that he has got bail. After working with him so closely I have become a huge fan of him not only as an actor but also as a human being. Almost 90 percent of the shoot for ‘Race 3’ is over and the remaining portions will mostly be shot in India.”
Producer of “Race 3” Ramesh Taurani said he is “happy” that the actor has come out of jail. “For us, Salman coming of this was more important. Our prayers have been answered. The shooting of ‘Race 3’ is almost over, a romantic song is left, which will feature Salman and Jacqueline Fernandez.” —PTI
Singer Mika Singh conveys his wishes to Salman Khan, says he will dedicate two songs to his ‘big brother’ at Indian Premier League
“Good deeds will always pay:” Director Subhash Ghai on Salman Khan being granted bail
Rebel Congress leader Shehzad Poonawalla says he is ‘disappointed’ system can never be used this efficiently by poor man to get bail fast
Sonakshi Sinha shares image of Salman Khan and Zaheer Iqbal after Khan gets bail
Actor Neil Nitin Mukesh congratulates Salman Khan
‘Rakhi sisters’ of Salman Khan celebrate after he is granted bail