HC summons records in Salman poaching case

Jodhpur, Oct 6: Rajasthan High Court summoned for the records from a lower court here today in the Kankani black buck poaching case involving Bollywood actor Salman Khan.

The High Court bench comprising Judge Himmataram Panwar while hearing the review petitions filed by the state government's against the Upper District and Session's Court decision to acquit the accused under some Sections, summoned the records and fixed the next hearing date on November 6.

The forest department had lodged cases against Salman, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam and Sonali Bendre and six others for shooting down two black bucks on October 1-2,1998 in Kankani village in Luni region. The case is being heard in the court of judicial magistrate Dalpat Singh Rajpurohit.

The magistrate had framed charges against the accused under Sections 147,148 and 149 under the Indian Penal Code and Sections 51 and 52 under the Wildlife Protection Act. Salman was booked under Section 27 of Indian Arms Act also.

The accused filed review petitions in the lower court and asked for reprieve. The court after hearing the review petitions asked the prosecutor to frame charges against the accused only under the Wildlife Protection Act and provided them relief under all other Sections.

The state government then filed a review petition in the High Court against the lower court's verdict, urging the court to repeal the relief granted to the accused.

The HC after the hearing the review petition summoned for the records from the lower court.

UNI