The blackbuck poaching case still continues to haunt, superstar Salman Khan after so many years. As per several reports, Salman was slated to appear in the controversial blackbuck poaching case before the district and sessions court in Jodhpur, Rajasthan. However, he was exempted as the actor's lawyer cited the ongoing pandemic as the reason. According to a PTI report, Salman was asked to appear in connection with the hearing of a petition challenging a trial court order sentencing him to five years of imprisonment. However, his legal counsel Nishant Bora, said that the actor's travel could not be risked.
He told PTI, "We submitted an application seeking exemption from appearance considering the pandemic situation and the possible risk to his safety during travel." The court understood the reason and Sessions Judge Devendra Kachhawaha directed Salman Khan to appear in the court on the next date of hearing on 6 February. It will now be seen if Salman appears before the court on the mentioned date. For the unversed, the blackbuck poaching incident happened during the shoot of Hum Saath Saath Hain in October 1998 near Kankani village near Jodhpur. Along with Salman Khan, other members of the film who were present with him – Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam and Sonali Bendre, have been acquitted. A trial court in 2018 had convicted Khan and awarded five-year imprisonment to him for killing two blackbucks in Kankani village near Jodhpur during the shooting of his film Hum Saath Saath Hain in October 1998. Khan had challenged the trial court verdict in the sessions court.