Saif, Sonali, Tabu and Neelam received notice from Jodhpur High Court in black buck poaching case

The Jodhpur High Court has issued a notice to film actors Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Neelam Kothari, Tabu and Dushyant Singh in the black buck hunting case dating back to 1998. The notice was issued after the Rajasthan Government challenged the 2018 acquittal of these actors by a Jodhpur court. Notably, Salman Khan was also accused in the case and was convicted by the Jodhpur Court last year.

The trial court had sentenced Khan to five years in jail on April 5 last year, while acquitting the five other co-accused. Khan is presently out on bail. The high court issued notices, condoning the delay by the state government in filing the appeal, said Public Prosecutor Mahipal Bishnoi.

The court has asked the five to file their replies to the court within eight weeks. After the five files their replies, the state’s appeal would be sent back to the session court for further hearing as the first appeal to a magisterial court judgement lies in the sessions court, explained Bishnoi.

The state had come to the high court after the sessions court had taken objections to the late filing of the appeal by the state government, he said. Salman Khan has already challenged his conviction before the sessions court, which is presently hearing the defence arguments in his appeal.