Trouble brewing for four more actors

These stars have been charged with abetting blackbuck killings

After Salman Khan, four other actors, who made a guest appearance in Salman’s 1998 deer hunting spree, may soon face their fate in court. Actors Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam Kothari have been charged with abetting the killing of two blackbucks on October 2, 1998, near Kankani, the third poaching case pending against Salman.

“Abetment carries the same punishment as that for killing of an endangered animal,” said NG Jayasimha, PeTA’s legal affairs coordinator. The quartet has been charged under Section 51 and 52 of the Wildlife Protection Act, which carries a minimum punishment of three years imprisonment and maximum of seven years in jail along with a fine. The case is likely to come up next month.

The deer killings took place while the actors were shooting for Sooraj Barjatiya’s Hum Saath Saath Hain in Rajasthan between September and October 1998. Salman first killed two Chinkaras at Bhawad near Jodhpur on September 26, for which he has already been convicted and sentenced to one year’s imprisonment. He is currently on bail while his appeal is pending. The second hunt took place on September 28 when he killed a blackbuck near Mathania. In this case, the actor was arrested on Saturday after a Jodhpur court upheld the five-year jail term handed to him by a lower court.

The trial in the third case is on in a Jodhpur court. This case pertains to the deer hunt on the night on October 1-2 when Saif, Tabu, Neelam and Sonali accompanied Salman in the Gypsy. The other actors, Mohnish Behl and Mahesh Thakur reportedly refused to go along with them. Sooraj Barjatya apparently tried to dissuade them, but the men were adamant. The women were reportedly excited by the thrill of the hunt and also wanted to try out deer meat.

The local Bishnois, who revere wildlife, had kept watch after being alerted about the earlier killings. Salman allegedly shot two blackbucks. The Bishnois chased their Gypsy, which sped off. The Bishnois, however, identified the actors, who were later arrested. “Depending on the evidence available against the actors, they could be in serious trouble if found guilty of abetting the deer killings,” said criminal lawyer Shyam Keswani.

Lawyer Satish Maneshinde, who represents actor Sanjay Dutt, said, “Recent trends show that the courts are coming down heavily on celebrities. The situation could be grim for Salman’s co-accused too.”