Blackbuck case final arguments postponed till July 22

Blackbuck case final arguments postponed till July 22
Blackbuck case final arguments postponed till July 22

JODHPUR:  The final round of arguments on the blackbuck poaching case, in which Salman Khan and other Bollywood stars are allegedly involved, has been postponed till July 22, prosecution counsel Bhawani Singh said today.

The case, where Khan and the others are accused of poaching two blackbucks, could not begin in a trial court here as scheduled because of paperwork, he said.

“Documents and an application had to be taken on record. The final arguments in the case will now start on July 22,” Singh said.

He said the defence would begin its arguments, followed by the prosecution.

“The case is in its final stages,” he added.

Salman Khan did not appear in the District and Session court here today for verification of bail bonds submitted by him in another related case filed under the Arms Act.

The case is on the illegal possession of arms, which were allegedly used to kill the blackbucks in 1998.

Citing “law and order issues”, the defence asked that Khan be exempted from appearing in person before the court. The court granted the exemption, deferring the matter till August 4.

“We sought an adjournment … With the plea that the police would not be in a position to provide security considering law and order issues after the Ananadpal encounter,” defence counsel H M Saraswat said.

The state has been witnessing protests against the encounter killing of Anandpal Singh, an alleged gangster. (AGENCIES)