He is ‘Bhaijaan’ of Bollywood. Known for his lavish gifts and generosity, he has been godfather of many young stars of Hindi film industry.
But when time came, he was left alone. The moment Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri pronounced the verdict in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case, Salman Khan was standing alone in the courtroom with his sisters Alvira, Arpita and bodyguard Shera.
Saif Ali Khan, Tabu and Neelam, the co-accused in the case and Salman Khan’s co-stars in movie ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’ left the court soon after judge acquitted them in the blackbuck case. LIVE UPDATES HERE
These actors were in the gypsy with Khan when the incident took place in 1998 on the night of October 1st. They were charged with abetment to crime.
Neelam Kothari’s actor husband Sameer Soni expressed his relief after the court acquitted his wife.
‘We are happy for us but we are disappointed for Salman Khan. Justice has not been given properly in this case. I am feeling bad for him,’ Soni was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
Reportedly all of them have already left Jodhpur.
Earlier, Khan entered the court complex wearing a black shirt and sporting sunglasses. Security was tight.
The Bishnoi community consider killing animals unholy. They have pursued the case against Khan for almost two decades.
Khan has had a history of run-ins with the law.
In 2015, the Bombay High Court overturned his conviction in a hit-and-run case in which he was accused of running over a group of people sleeping on a city sidewalk, killing one and injuring four.
Khan has made a series of blockbuster hits in the last few years with the latest in December, "Tiger Zinda Hai", grossing more 3 billion rupees ($52 million) at the box office.
His next film, "Race 3", is an action thriller scheduled for release later in the year.
