Bollywood actor Salman Khan was on Wednesday acquitted in an Arms Act case involving the killing of black bucks. Khan thanked his fans for their support, while some colleagues hailed the decision and people on social media trolled him.
The Jodhpur court, in its 102-page order, did not find him guilty under Sections 3/25 and 3/27 of the Arms Act. Chief Judicial Magistrate Dalpat Singh Rajpurohit announced the ruling after having completed the hearing on January 9.
“The prosecution could not prove any offence against Salman. It took a long time but ultimately the truth has won,” Khan’s lawyer Hastimal Saraswat said.
Khan and his sister Alvira were present in the court when the judge announced that he was not guilty of having an unlicensed weapon and using it during an alleged black buck hunt in 1998.
Police had a hard time controlling the actor’s supporters in the court, many of whom had pictures of Khan. The actor signed autographs for fans.
“Thank you for all the support and good wishes,” Khan tweeted minutes later.
Khan and a few other actors were accused of poaching black bucks on the night of October 1, 1998, during the shooting of Hindi movie Hum Saath Saath Hain in Rajasthan.
Khan, son of veteran writer Salim Khan, was earlier acquitted in two other cases related to the incident.
But Khan’s acquittal didn’t make everyone happy.
“Salman Khan teaches us that you can pass the buck when it comes to killing black bucks if you have lots of bucks,” wrote one user.
One more read: “There are millions who know that Salman Khan is guilty in both cases. Your voice has no value if it is against power and money. How sad!”
Hailing the court decision, actor Alok Nath, who played Khan’s onscreen father in Hum Saath Saath Hain, said: “It is a happy ending to a long, stretched out case. He and his family must be really relieved.”
He added: “Salman is a great guy... He has a brilliant career. Now, it is time for him to get married and have children.”
Actor Rahul Dev — a former contestant of Bigg Boss 10, which Khan hosts — said: “I have faith in the judicial system and an acquittal signifies he is innocent. It puts to rest any sense of doubt in the eyes of the public.”
Mumbai-based eatery Bhaijaanz Restaurant, named after the Bajrangi Bhaijaan actor, announced a 50 per cent discount on its offerings on the receipt of the news from Jodhpur.
The actor’s run-ins with the judiciary aren’t new.
The Rajasthan High Court in July last year had acquitted Khan in another case, also related to chinkara poaching.
In 2015, Khan was also acquitted in a 2002 hit-and-run case by the Bombay High Court. His vehicle had run over a group of people sleeping on a pavement, killing one of them.
