A local court on Wednesday deferred the judgment in the Arms Act case against Bollywood actor Salman Khan related to the 1998 blackbuck poaching incident, saying four pending applications from the prosecution have come to light on which it will decide on March 3.
The pending applications came to the notice of the court after the arguments in the case completed on February 10, prosecution counsel N.K. Sankhla told reporters.
As the court proceedings began on Wednesday, Chief Judicial Magistrate, Jodhpur district, Anupama Bijlani took up the four pending applications related to cross examination of nine witnesses and for taking additional facts and documents on record which were moved earlier by the prosecution.
ADVERTISEMENT
After hearing arguments, the court fixed March 3 for a decision on the four pleas. The 49-year-old actor did not appear in court.
His counsel Hastimal Saraswat moved pleas for exemption from appearance. The court granted the permission as the lawyer said he was unwell and unable to stand in court.
Salman Khan was allegedly involved in poaching of two blackbucks near Jodhpur in the intervening night of 1-2 October, 1998.
ADVERTISEMENT
The case under the Arms Act was registered with Luni Police station in Jodhpur as the forest department of Rajasthan alleged that the arms used by the actor during the poaching incident had expired licences and so he used them illegally.
Salman was in Jodhpur for the shooting of Hindi movie “Hum Saath Saath Hain” when the incident ccurred.
The two blackbucks, a protected animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, were killed on the outskirts of Kankani village near Jodhpur.
The actor also has three poaching cases against him. He has twice spent time in the Jodhpur jail - in April 2006 and again in August 2007.