Bollywood super star Salman Khan on Friday did not appear before a court in Rajasthan’s Jodhpur in connection with his alleged involvement in poaching a blackbuck, a rare species of deer, during the shoot of a film 21 years ago.
Khan's counsel moved two applications in the sessions court, one for his exemption from the court on Friday and the other for permanent exemption from personal appearance, the actor’s lawyer Hastimal Saraswant told reporters.
The court accepted the application for exemption from appearing today and posted the matter for hearing on the second application of permanent exemption on December 19, Saraswat said. He said the ground for Khan’s not appearing before the court on Friday was his engagement in a film's shooting.
Salman Khan had filed a plea against his conviction by a lower court which had sentenced him to five years in jail. During a hearing on July 4, Sessions Court Judge Chandra Kumar Songara had Khan to appear before the court on September 27, failing which his bail plea may be cancelled. Khan is accused of killing two blackbucks during the shooting of the feature film “Hum Saath Saath Hain” in Jodhpur in 1998.
