Salman Khan
Salman Khan

JODHPUR: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan on Thursday pleaded not guilty in a long-standing case that alleges he used unlicensed arms to shoot antelopes in western India, saying he was framed.

The actor is accused of using weapons with an expired licence to target black bucks in a protected forest area, where hunting the animals is illegal, in 1998.

Khan, wearing a floral shirt and sunglasses, said in court that forest officials had pressured him to sign a statement saying he had procured the arms from a contact in Mumbai.

“I am innocent and have been framed by the forest officials,” Khan said in his plea to the judicial magistrate in a Jodhpur district court.

The Bollywood actor was previously found guilty of poaching endangered gaze­lles in a separate case in 2006 and is appealing a year-long jail sentence. Add­­it­­ional Public Prosecutor Dinesh Tiwari said the court had given Khan, 50, a chance to produce witnesses or evidence in support of his defence in the arms case on April 4. “If he does so, they will be examined in the court otherwise the case will be listed for final arguments,” said Tiwari.

The case was registered nearly 18 years ago when Khan was shooting for the Bollywood mega-hit “Hum Saath Saath Hain” (We Are Together) at a village near Jodhpur.

Other cast members from the film, including well-known actors Saif Ali Khan and Sonali Bendre, are co-accused in the case.

Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2016

Opinion

Editorial

Dashed hopes
Updated 30 Mar, 2024

Dashed hopes

This course of action seems to run contrary to what one would expect from an independent judiciary jealously guarding its domain.
Hike in power rates
30 Mar, 2024

Hike in power rates

SUMMER is fast approaching and bringing with it more hardships for the working classes. Already grappling with a...
Waste not, want not
30 Mar, 2024

Waste not, want not

AS the world observes the International Day of Zero Waste today, it is faced with a shameful truth: over a billion...
‘Source of terror’
Updated 29 Mar, 2024

‘Source of terror’

It is clear that going after militant groups inside Afghanistan unilaterally presents its own set of difficulties.
Chipping in
29 Mar, 2024

Chipping in

FEDERAL infrastructure development schemes are located in the provinces. Most such projects — for instance,...
Toxic emitters
29 Mar, 2024

Toxic emitters

IT is concerning to note that dozens of industries have been violating environmental laws in and around Islamabad....