Rajasthan govt set to challenge acquittal of four actors

  • | Sunday | 16th September, 2018

JODHPUR: Fresh trouble is brewing for Bollywood actors Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam who were acquitted in the blackbuck poaching case on April 5. Actor Salman Khan was sentenced to prison for five years in the same case.The state government has decided to challenge their acquittal along with that of local resident Dushyant Singh . A formal sanction for an appeal against their acquittal was received by additional advocate general (AAG) S K Vyas on Saturday.“The law department’s sanction for an appeal against their acquittal in the Kankani blackbuck poaching case was received on Saturday. While Gawre is still absconding, the rest underwent a trial leading to Salman Khan’s convicting and sentencing. “The forest department being the complainant in the case, had appealed to the state government challenging the acquittal of the co-accused,” said Mahipal Singh, one of the prosecution counsels in the case.Meanwhile, the arguments over Salman’s appeal against his sentence is going on at Jodhpur’s sessions court.

JODHPUR: Fresh trouble is brewing for Bollywood actors Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam who were acquitted in the blackbuck poaching case on April 5. Actor Salman Khan was sentenced to prison for five years in the same case.The state government has decided to challenge their acquittal along with that of local resident Dushyant Singh . A formal sanction for an appeal against their acquittal was received by additional advocate general (AAG) S K Vyas on Saturday.“The law department’s sanction for an appeal against their acquittal in the Kankani blackbuck poaching case was received on Saturday. Following this, I will proceed to file the appeal in the high court next week,” confirmed Vyas.The five actors, along with two others—local travel agent Dushyant Singh and Salman Khan’s then assistant Dinesh Gawre — were accused of poaching the endangered animals at Johdpur’s Kankani village on the night of October 1-2, 1998. While Gawre is still absconding, the rest underwent a trial leading to Salman Khan’s convicting and sentencing. The others were acquitted.The four actors and Dushyant Singh were charged as co-accused in the poaching case under sections 51 and 52 of the Wildlife Act read with Section 149 of the IPC for provoking main accused Salman for poaching the endangered animal.Eyewitness Poonam Chand, who had identified Salman and Saif Ali Khan, had referred to others as three girls (Tabu, Sonali, Neelam) and two men (Dushyant Singh and Dinesh Gawre), and alleged they cajoled Salman to fire and kill the blackbucks.However, the trial court observed that neither any witness nor any evidence had pointed to the co-accused and the only specific mention was that of Salman.“Hence the involvement of the co-accused could not be established beyond any doubt. The prosecution has not been able to prove their involvement beyond any doubt,” the court had observed while acquitting them, giving the co-accused the benefit of doubt.The forest department had written to the state government to appeal against these acquittals. “The forest department being the complainant in the case, had appealed to the state government challenging the acquittal of the co-accused,” said Mahipal Singh, one of the prosecution counsels in the case.Meanwhile, the arguments over Salman’s appeal against his sentence is going on at Jodhpur’s sessions court.

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