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Rejecting his appeal, a district court here Friday upheld the
punishment of five years in jail for Bollywood star Salman Khan
given by a lower court in Rajasthan for shooting a chinkara deer in
1998. Salman will now file a review petition in the high court, his
lawyer said.
In April last year, Salman had filed an appeal in the district
and sessions court against the judgment of the chief judicial
magistrate's court in Jodhpur that had sentenced him to five years
"rigorous" imprisonment and fined him Rs.25,000.
The chief judicial magistrate's court had found Salman guilty
under Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act. After that, Salman
was taken to Jodhpur Central Jail where he spent three nights
before the district and sessions court gave him bail.
On Friday, however, the district and sessions judge Kamal Raj
Singhvi rejected his appeal and upheld the five-year jail term and
the fine imposed on the star of such hit films as "Hum Dil De Chuke
Sanam" and "Hum Apke Hain Koun".
The actor failed to appear for the hearing Friday, saying he missed
the flight to Jodhpur from Hyderabad where he is currently
shooting. However, his sister Alvira was present in court.
Salman's counsel Dipesh Mehta said: "We would certainly file a
review petition in high court as soon as possible. We expect to get
the certified copy of the judgment today. We would study it and
file it soon."
He said Salman did not appear in the court personally as the court
had given no directive in this regard.
The Bishnoi community, which has been insisting that Salman should
be brought to book for the crime, did not take kindly to his
absence.
"Salman had an inkling that his appeal would be turned down so he
did not come to court. The judge said his presence or absence did
not matter since it was judgment time," said Mahipal Bishnoi, the
lawyer for the Bishnoi community.
Bishnois consider the deer a sacred animal and are party to the
case along with the state government.
"An arrest warrant will be issued by the court, so either Salman
should surrender or he will be arrested," a Bishnoi said.
Salman has been convicted of poaching a chinkara, an endangered
deer species, in the Ghoda farm near Jodhpur on the intervening
night of Sep 28, 1998 while filming for Sooraj Barjatiya's
blockbuster "Hum Saath Saath Hain".
A case was registered against Salman and five others under Sections
143, 144, 148 and 201 read with 149 of the Indian Penal Code,
Section 51 and 52 of the Wildlife Protection Act and Section 27 of
the Indian Arms Act at Mathania Police Station on Oct 11, 1998.
Salman who faces four cases in Jodhpur has also been sentenced to
one-year imprisonment in another poaching case in Bhawad and has
filed an appeal there too.
Indo-Asian News Service
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