Black buck case: Charges to be framed against Salman, Saif, three actresses

A Jodhpur court Monday ordered framing of charges against Bollywood actors Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan and three actresses in a case relating to the alleged poaching of two black bucks in Kakani in the district in 1998.

Judicial Magistrate Dalpat Singh Rajpurohit adjourned the case till February 27 asking all the five and another accused to appear before the court for hearing the charges.

• Salman sentenced to one year imprisonment

The court said in its order there was prima facie evidence against the six accused -- Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Neelam, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and a Jodhpur resident Dushyant, Public Prosecutor N K Sankhla said.

It directed framing of charges against Salman under Section 148 of the Indian Penal Code relating to joining assembly with a deadly weapon, the Wildlife Protection Act and the Arms Act.

Charges against the remaining accused would be framed under Section 147 of IPC relating to unlawful assembly and under provisions of the Wildlfe Protection Act and Section 149. (Every member of unlawful assembly liable for prosecution for common offence.)

The court granted permission of exemption from personal appearance in the hearing on February 27 to Salman on whose behalf his counsel Hastimal Sarswat filed a petition for absence in Monday's hearing.