Saman and others to be presented in court today for the verdict in the Blackbuck poaching case

The verdict in 19 and a half year old Blackbuck poaching case in which Salman Khan and other stars are involved will be pronounced by the court of chief judicial magistrate (Jodhpur rural) on April 5.

Actor Salman Khan and other star cast is scheduled will be present before the Jodhpur court around 10:30 AM.

Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri will be delivering the judgement.

Court premises has been beefed up with heavy security layer in wake of threats given by gangster Lawrence Bishnoi to hurt Khan.

"We have deployed around 200 security personnel who will guard the star cast especially Salman Khan. Out of four gates, only two gates will be open for entry and exit", DCP Amandeep told DH.

A day ahead of the verdict, Bollywood actor Salman Khan reached Jodhpur at around in a charter flight along with his sisters Alvira Khan and Arpita Khan. Moreover, his bodyguard Shera was also accompanying him.

Actors Saif Ali Khan, Neelam, Tabu and Sonali Bendre reached Jodhpur in a direct flight from Mumbai.

The case dates back to October 1996 when Khan, Saif, Neelam, Tabu and Sonali allegedly went on a hunting expedition in Kankani and killed two blackbucks around midnight on October 1-2, 1998. Actors were in Rajasthan for the shoot of Hindi film Hum Saath Saath Hain.

Blackbucks are endangered species and hunting them is prohibited under the Wildlife Protection Act.

Last week, the chief judicial magistrate rural court in Jodhpur completed final hearings and reserved its judgment in the case that has been in trial stage for 19 and a half years.

The Bishnoi community known for their love for the environment had filed a complaint against the actors and a local involved in the shooting.

The actor was also charged for keeping an arm with an expired license and was charged under the Arms Act in which he was acquitted in by a trial court in January 2017.

There were two more cases against Salman Khan for allegedly killing two chinkaras (Indian Gazelle) but here also actor was acquitted by Rajasthan High Court in July , 2016 for the poaching of the chinkara. However prosecutors have challenged his acquittal in a higher court which is currently pending in the SC.