Salman summoned in poaching case

Bollywood actors Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Neelam and Tabu have been summoned by the chief judicial magistrate court in Jodhpur on February 4, in connection with the 14-year-old infamous “chinkara” poaching case.

Earlier, Salman Khan was booked under Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, Arms Act and 148 IPC in the case. Though charges under Arms Act and IPC had been dropped on appeal, now fresh charges would be framed under the Wild Life Protection Act 1972. The other actors have been booked under Section 52 of the Wild Life Protection Act and Section 149 of the IPC.

The lower court will re-frame charges under the Wildlife Protection Act against Salman and others. Salman, Saif and the other actors were accused of hunting endangered “chinkara” and blackbuck deer while shooting their film Hum Saath Saath Hain in Rajasthan. Khan was sentenced to one-year imprisonment for hunting chinkara, at Bhawad village on February 17, 2006. The sentence was stayed by a higher court during appeal. He was then handed a five-year jail term on April 10 2006 and remanded in Jodhpur jail till April 13, when he was granted bail. On July 24 this year, when he appealed against his conviction, the Rajasthan High Court finalised charges against Salman Khan and others in the endangered black buck killing case, paving way for start of the trial.