Black buck poaching case hits final phase

The 19-year-old black buck poaching case against Bollywood actor Salman Khan,entered the final phase of trial on Thursday as closing arguments of the defence was completed in the chief judicial magistrate (Jodhpur rural) court.

Khan has been charged with shooting two endangered black bucks in Jodhpur’s Kankani village on the night of October 1-2, 1998.

The other actors, including Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam and a local resident Dushyant Singh, too are charged with instigating the Bollywood star to poach the animals.

Khan’s counsel Hastimal Saraswat concluded his defence argument seeking acquittal for the Bollywood star from the charges brought against him in hunting of the two black bucks.

Saraswat said the charges brought against Khan have not been proven during the trial proceedings, pointing out the different contradictions between the statements of the prosecution witnesses.

“We told the court that no gun bullet was recovered at the scene of the incident. Medical and FSL reports also did not prove that the black bucks died of gunshot injuries,” the counsel said.

“The investigating agency produced false witnesses who cannot be trusted and investigating officials also produced false evidence,” he said.

Investigating officer Lalit Bora falsely implicated Khan in the case and also demanded action from the court against the then investigating officer Bora and ML Sonal, the counsel said. The court has fixed February 14 for submitting arguments on behalf of the other accused in the case. On October 23, the prosecution concluded its closing arguments, pleading maximum punishment for the accused in the case. Three cases of poaching and one under the Arms Act were registered against Khan in Jodhpur in 1998.

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