Bollywood star Salman Khan guilty of poaching
Court finds actor guilty of illegally shooting rare blackbuck antelope
Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has been convicted of illegally hunting a rare breed of antelope while shooting a movie in 1998.
A court in Jodhpur sentenced Khan to five years in prison for poaching the blackbuck deer, ending a lengthy legal battle. The actor and singer has said he intends to appeal the verdict. In the meantime, he has arrived at Jodhpur Central Prison to begin his sentence.
In October 1998, while filming Hum Saath Saath Hain in Rajasthan, Khan and co-stars Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam are alleged to have shot and killed two blackbucks.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The incident occurred near a village inhabited by members of Bishnoi religious sect, “a community that reveres the animals and is passionate about protecting them”, says NDTV.
Villagers said that they heard gunfire and then saw an off-road vehicle driving away the scene. A deer carcass was found near the spot where the shots were heard.
The blackbuck incident has dogged Khan, one of India’s most bankable stars, for the past two decades. In court appearances and interviews, he has given various accounts of the incident, including claims that he was unarmed, armed only with an air pistol or even that he fed the deer, says NDTV.
The Jodhpur court today found Khan’s co-stars not guilty due to a lack of evidence. Passing sentence on Khan, the court described the 52-year-old as a “habitual offender”.
In 2006, he was found guilty in two other poaching incidents dating from September 1998, although both convictions have since been overturned on appeal, the Times of India reports.
The poaching conviction is not Khan’s first high-profile brush with the law. In 2015, he was convicted of culpable homicide after his Toyota Land Cruiser ran over four people in Mumbai, killing a homeless man who was sleeping on the street. The conviction was later overturned due to lack of evidence.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - May 4, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - reflections in the pond, riding shotgun, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 high-caliber cartoons about Kristi Noem shooting her puppy
Cartoons Artists take on the rainbow bridge, a farm upstate, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is the world running low on blood?
Podcast Scientists believe universal donor blood is within reach – plus, the row over an immersive D-Day simulation, and an Ozempic faux pas
By The Week Staff Published
-
Lions devour gang of rhino poachers
Speed Read Human remains and poaching tools found in lion enclosure of South African game reserve
By The Week Staff Published
-
Elephant poachers in the act shot dead by park rangers in Kenya
In Depth Gang members gunned down by officers during 'fierce shoot-out' at park on Ugandan border
By The Week Staff Last updated
-
Bollywood actress Sridevi 'died of accidental drowning'
Speed Read Actor's death no longer being investigated as cardiac arrest
By The Week Staff Published
-
‘Poacher’ eaten by lions he was tracking
In Depth South African police say big cats ‘just left his head and some remains’
By The Week Staff Published