Blackbuck case: More trouble for Salman

Jaipur, April 24: Film actor Salman Khan ran into a new controversy on Friday when a witness in the case moved an application in the Jodhpur court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, alleging that the former was misleading the court. Lalit Bora, retired forest officer, alleged that the actor is providing false statement to the court to delay his case. He demanded strict action against him . “Salman Khan simply wants to get his case deferred, but it cannot be permitted,” Bora told reporters after moving the application.

The controversy erupted when Khan a photo of him on the sets of his upcoming movie “Bajrangi Bhaijaan” at Jammu and Kashmir was published in a regiol daily in Jodhpur on Friday.

“Salman Khan is busy shooting his movie and that is evident from the photo published in the newspapers today (Friday), but he presented wrong facts to get exemption yesterday (Thursday). It is indeed fraud with the court,” Bora, the former investigating officer, said. On the other hand, Salman’s counsel Hastimal Sarswat refuted all allegations, terming them to be baseless. He said: “We had never ever informed the court that Salman is not working.”

“Salman has been advised not to travel by air due to infection and we sought exemption by bringing this fact to the notice of the court,” Sarswat said. The accused’s statements will be recorded during the hearing on April 29. On October 1-2, 1998, during the shooting of the movie “Hum Saath Saath Hain”, two blackbucks, a protected animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, were allegedly killed on the outskirts of Kankani village near Jodhpur.

Salman Khan along with a few other stars were accused of poaching the blackbucks. He was also accused of carrying and using arms with an expired licence. (IANS)