Rajasthan HC stays hearing of appeals in blackbuck poaching case in Jodhpur court

The Rajasthan High Court has stayed hearing of appeals related to the blackbuck poaching case in Jodhpur District and Sessions Court.

Advocate Hastimal Saraswat, representing actor Salman Khan, said three appeals related to the case are under consideration of the Jodhpur District and Sessions Court and the state government's appeal is also pending in the Rajasthan High Court.

He said the High Court will hear the transfer petition first.

"In the blackbuck case, three appeals related to Salman Khan are under consideration of District and Sessions Court, Jodhpur. One appeal is filed by the state government against Salman Khan's acquittal in the Arms act case. The second appeal is against 5-year imprisonment to Salman Khan in the blackbuck poaching case. The third appeal is against acquittal to Dushyant Singh (a local of Rajasthan), Neelam, Tabu, Sonali and Saif Ali Khan in the same judgment in which Salman Khan was sentenced to five-year jail," Saraswat told .

"The state government has also filed an appeal in the High Court against the acquittal of Neelam, Tabu, Sonali and Saif Ali Khan in the blackbuck case. We filed a transfer petition in the Rajasthan High Court requesting it to hear all these appeals as they are related to one matter. If appeals of the same case are heard in different courts, there is the possibility of contradictory judgements," he said.

"That's why we filed an appeal in High Court that there are different appeals in the same case and they should be heard in High Court. On our plea, High Court Justice Manoj Kumar Garg has given an order to stayed hearing in these appeals until the matter of transfer petition is not heard," he added.

Saraswat said the Rajasthan High Court also issued notice to Dushyant Singh, Neelam, Tabu, Sonali and Saif Ali Khan.

Salman Khan was booked under Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act for poaching two chinkaras in Bhawad village on September 26-27, 1998 and one chinkara in Matha on September 28, 1998.

Earlier in February, the Jodhpur District and Sessions Court dismissed a petition filed by the Rajasthan government that alleged that Salman Khan had presented a false affidavit related to the Arms Act in the blackbuck poaching case.

( With inputs from ANI )