Blackbuck poaching case: Fresh notice sent to Tabu, Sonali, Saif, Neelam

The Rajasthan high court on Monday 20 May issued a fresh notice to Hindi film stars Tabu, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre and Neelam Kothari as well as local resident Dushyant Kumar in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case following the state government's appeal against their acquittal.

On the state government's plea, the high court earlier issued notices to the five respondents on 11 March.

On Monday, justice Manoj Garg issued them fresh notices after prosecution counsel Mahipal Singh told the court that none, except Neelam Kothari, had received its earlier notice.

The court asked all five respondents to reply to the notices within eight weeks.

In its plea filed on 5 April last year, the Rajasthan government had questioned the acquittal of the five for lack of evidence, when actor Salman Khan, whom they were accompanying at the time of the incident, was proved guilty.

Khan was awarded a five-year prison sentence, along with a penalty of Rs10,000, after being held guilty under section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act for killing two blackbucks in 1998 during the shooting of Hum Saath-Saath Hai (1999). His appeal is pending in the high court.