Actor Salman Khan was on Saturday released from the Jodhpur jail after being granted bail by a Sessions Court in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case in which he was sentenced to five years in jail.
Khan's release was ordered on a bail bond of ₹50,000. The court also allowed suspension of sentence during the pendency of Salman's appeal against his conviction. In addition, the court added a condition that Khan cannot leave the country without the court's permission.
He has been directed to appear in person on May 7 in the appellate court for hearing on his appeal against conviction and sentence.
Defence counsel Hastimal Saraswat said the court had accepted the grounds on which Salman's lawyers had argued.
Khan's fans, who had gathered outside the court, raised slogans in his support, with some shouting Bajrangi Bhaijan . A crowd gathered outside the jail as well, cheering and raising slogans when the news reached.
‘Won’t misuse liberty’
Mahesh Bora, counsel for the actor, said his client would not misuse his liberty if granted bail. “He had never jumped bail even for a single day during the last 19 years despite his busy schedule,” he said, affirming that the merits of the case should not be examined at the stage of bail.
Mr. Bora said the prosecution was wrong in contending that Khan’s acquittal in other related cases was not final because the government’s appeal was pending in the Supreme Court. “If the High Court’s judgement of acquittal is not final, how is the trial court’s decision final? We have filed an appeal against it,” he said.
When public prosecutor Pokhar Ram Bishnoi referred to the post-mortem report of blackbucks showing gunshot wounds, Mr. Bora said the forensic science laboratory’s report stated that gun injuries could not be ascertained from the bone samples.
Mr. Bishnoi said Khan’s conviction in the Kankani case was based on the evidence from those who had seen him shooting the blackbuck.
“This case is different from others. There were no eyewitnesses, no recovery of carcasses and no post-mortem in other cases, in which the High Court acquitted the accused,” he said.
"Never jumped bail"
Earlier in the day on Saturday morning, both the defense counsel and the public prosecutor completed their arguments. Defense counsel Mahesh Bora told the court that Khan would not misuse his liberty if granted bail. “He never jumped the bail during the last 19 years,” Mr. Bora said.
Public Prosecutor Pokar Ram opposed the defense’s arguments and said the other cases of Salman's acquittal were pending in the Supreme Court and there was no finality in them as yet.
Khan was convicted of killing two endangered blackbucks and sentenced to five years in prison. He was also ordered to pay a fine of ₹10,000.
Judge gets transfer orders
Earlier, Sessions judge hearing the bail application of film actor Salman Khan was transferred late on Friday night, creating a suspense over the continuation of proceedings for which he had summoned the record of the trial court which had convicted and sentenced the 52-year-old actor to five years in prison .
District and Sessions Judge (Jodhpur Rural) Ravindra Kumar Joshi was among the 87 District Judges shifted by the Rajasthan High Court in a routine process of reshuffle, usually carried out in March-April every year. He has been transferred to Sirohi.
However, Mr. Joshi is likely to continue the hearing in Khan's case.
