Film star Salman Khan facing charges for killing endangered wildlife animal black bucks and possessing fire arms with expired license appeared before a local court here on Friday. His sister Alvira and some lawyers from Mumbai were accompanying him.
However, he was not scheduled to appear before the court hearing poaching and arms act cases against him, but he remained present before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (Jodhpur district) Anupama Bijalani for nearly one hour before leaving back to Mumbai.
“Salman marked his presence before the CJM court here in arms act case pending against him,” a counsel of actor said, adding that he was on a personal trip and since the hearing of case was scheduled today, he arrived to court and mark his presence, but he denied elaborating the personal trip.
Earlier to this, Salman reached to Jodhpur in a chartered flight at around 10.30am on Friday and he rushed to the court directly from the airport.
Attired with jeans, T-shirt and a brown jacket, Salman produced himself before the magistrate at around 10.45 am. He remained present in court till 11.50 before leaving for the airport. Actor’s chartered flight took off from Jodhpur to Mumbai at around 12.45pm.
Soon after getting information about appearance of the film star, hundreds of his fans gathered to get a glimpse. Police hardly controlled the crowd of his fans.
Meanwhile, CJM court heard his application seeking copy of a Hindi newspaper publishing from Ajmer dated October 4, 1998. Salman has pleaded before the court that news about poaching of two blackbucks in nearby Kankani village was published by the newspaper and forest department asked the editor to provide details of poaching while writing a letter on October 6, 1998, so that it could initiate action against the accused.
“Letter written to Editor shows that forest department didn’t registered the poaching case on October 2, 1998 as it was mentioned in the charge-sheet,” HM Saraswat, counsel for Salman argued.
It is noteworthy to mention that Salman Khan along with other film stars Saif Ali Khan, Neelam, Tabbbu, Sonali Bendre and some locals were booked for three poaching cases during the filming of movie ‘Hum Saath Saath Hein,” in 1998. Salman was convicted for one and five year imprisonment respectively in Bhawad and Ghoda farm poaching cases, while another poaching case of Kankani in under trial before the CJM court here. Besides this, Salman was also booked for possessing illegal arms (with expired license) and this case is too pending before the CJM Court here.
