Salman Khan dodges blackbuck poaching case hearing in Jodhpur court

Jodhpur: Bollywood actor Salman Khan on Friday failed to appear before a Jodhpur court in connection with the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, citing his busy schedule.

Khan's lawyer informed the District and Sessions Court that the actor was busy with the shooting of an upcoming movie. The advocate also mentioned in the court about the threat Salman Khan has received days ahead of the hearing in connection with the case.

The threat, which carried a photo of Salman Khan with a red cross, was posted on Facebook by an account named Gary Shooter. The court has posted the matter for hearing on December 19.

Khan had allegedly received a life threat on social media ahead of his Jodhpur hearing after which Rajasthan police, on Tuesday, said that they are investigating the matter.

On April 5 last year, Khan was sentenced to five years imprisonment after being found guilty of killing two blackbucks in Jodhpur during the shooting of his 1998 movie 'Hum Saath Saath Hain'. However, the court later granted him bail after he spent two nights at the Jodhpur jail.

His co-stars -- Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Neelam Kothari and Tabu -- besides another accused Dushyant Singh were acquitted due to lack of evidence. In May this year, the Jodhpur bench of the Rajasthan High Court had issued fresh notices to the actors following an appeal by the Rajasthan government against their acquittal by a chief judicial magistrate's court.

Notice was also issued to Dushyant Singh who was allegedly accompanying the actors when the poaching took place. The high court had on March 11 issued notices to the five respondents on the state government's appeal challenging their acquittal.