Breaking! Salman Khan sentenced to 5 years in blackbuck poaching case

The quantum of punishment for actor Salman Khan in the blackbuck poaching case is out. A sessions court in Jodhpur has sentenced Salman to five years in prison in the 1998 case. He was convicted under section 9/51 of Wildlife Protection Act earlier in the day. The court has also imposed a fine of Rs10,000 on Salman in the case.

As he has been convicted for more than three years, Salman cannot apply for a bail in the same court. He would now need to appeal in a higher court. During the hearing of the quantum of punishment, Salman’s lawyer had pleaded for a minimum sentence. But the bench did not pay heed to his appeal.

The actor will be taken for a medical examination and then to the Jodhpur Central Jail.

Salman was found guilty after the testimony given by eyewitness Poonam Chand and Chhoga Ram, as well as the post-mortem report. But as there wasn’t enough evidence against the co-accused in the case — Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre, Neelam and Dushyant Singh — they were acquitted earlier in the day.

Rampal Bhawad, state president of Bishnoi Tigers Vanya Evam Paryavaran Sanstha, said the outfit would immediately appeal against the acquittal of the four other actors.

In an update, Salman's bail application has been moved and will be taken up at 10.30am on Friday morning. The actor, therefore, will have to spend the night in Jodhpur Central Jail.