Friday morning saw a Jodhpur Court reserve Salman Khan's bail in the 1998 Blackbuck poaching case for Saturday. The Bollywood superstar is convicted of killing two endangered blackbucks two decades ago and is sentenced to a five-year jail term. Khan, reports say, spent a rather restless first night at the Jodhpur Central Jail where he was lodged at Barrack No. 2 away from other inmates. While Salman didn't make it to the court, sisters Alvira and Arpita were there to support him with his bodyguard of many years Shera.
The point put across by Salman's lawyers have been vehemently opposed by the prosecution. Salman or Qaidi (prisoner) No. 106 will stay in jail for at least another night even as the four other accused, Bollywood stars, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam Kothari, were acquitted for lack of evidence on Thursday. During the verdict on Thursday, the judge said, "The way the accused killed two innocent black bucks in violation of the wildlife laws... he is a film star, people emulate him... there has been a rise in poaching incidents, so leniency is not justified."
The two blackbucks were shot dead near the Bishnoi community village of Kankani in October 1998. Khan with other actors went on a hunt after spending the day shooting for his film, "Hum Saath Saath Hain".
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