Rajasthan HC grants bail to Salman in Chinkara poaching case

Jodhpur, Aug 31 (UNI) The Rajasthan High Court today granted bail to Bollywood actor Salman Khan in the Chinkara poaching case.

Admitting the revision petition filed by the actor against the jail sentence, High Court Judge H R Panwar suspended the sentence and released the actor on a personal surety bond of Rs one lakh and two penalties of Rs 50,000 each.

Salman's lawyers including advocate Udai Lalit from Delhi, Dipesh Mehta from Mumbai and local lawyer Hastimal Saraswat had sought special permission for hearing of bail plea against the actor's five-year-imprisonment as local lawyers usually strike on the last day of every month.

Salman is expected to be released around 1630 hrs today from the Jodhpur Central Jail where he is lodged in barrack no one as prisoner no 343.

The next hearing of the case will be held on October 24, when Salman will have to be present in the court.

Salman went to jail after District and Sessions Court Judge Kamal Raj Singhvi upheld the lower court's verdict of April 10, 2006 sentencing him to five-year-imprisonment for poaching chinkara and issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against the actor on August 24.

The judge had also rejected Salman's appeal for ten days time for surrender. The actor is convicted of poaching a chinkara, a species of protected antelope, in Ghoda Farm under Mathania police station on September 28-29,1998, while he was camping here for the shooting of a film.

Salman's another appeal against his one-year-imprisonment for poaching two black bucks in Bhavad village on September 26-27,1998, is pending in a court and will come up for hearing on September 10.

UNI