Salman Khan's lawyer questions forensic report in chinkara poaching case

Jodhpur, Jan 5: Raising questions on the forensic report of blood samples taken from a hotel where the dead chinkaras were allegedly taken by actor Salman Khan and his aides for cleaning and cooking, his counsel told Rajasthan High Court near here that samples were taken 17 days after the incident and questioned their linking with Khan.

"Since the samples were taken by FSL team 17 days after the incident, how can it be assumed that those samples belonged to the animal, allegedly killed by Khan and later taken to the Ashirwad Hotel for cleaning and cooking?" Khan's lawyer Mahesh Bora argued in the court.

Bora was arguing on Khan’s appeal against his conviction in a poaching case at Bhawad near Jodhpur, wherein 2 chinkaras were allegedly poached on 26-27 September, 1998.

He further argued that the FSL report does not mention how old were these blood samples, which meant, they did not check that how old was that blood.

"Even if we presume that the dead deer was taken to the hotel after killing, cleaned and cooked there with a knife, how can it be said that it was Khan who killed it and took it to the hotel?" Bora contended.

After the arguments which lasted for an hour and a half, justice Nirmaljit Kaur deferred the hearing till next Tuesday. The defence will continue with its arguments on that day.

It may be recalled that hearing on Khan's appeal had begun in the High Court on November 16, 2015 with the defence starting the arguments.

Since then, Tuesday was the 12th day of the defence’s arguments, which are centred at proving that Khan has nothing to do with the alleged poaching and that he has been framed.

Khan had been convicted in a case of poaching of two chinkaras in village Bhawad on 26-27 September, 1998.

The CJM's court had sentenced Khan for 1 year imprisonment on February, 17, 2006, against which, an appeal had been moved in the High Court.

PTI