A Jodhpur court on Saturday framed fresh charges against actors Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam and Sonali Bendre in a case of hunting blackbucks in Rajasthan 14 years ago.
Salman Khan has been charged under Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA) that provides hunting of blackbucks, a protected animal, punishable with a maximum imprisonment of six years.
Salman Khan too has to appear in person before a Sessions Court in Mumbai on Monday in the 2002 hit-and-run case.
The High Court had revised the charges against the actors in December 2012, charging Salman Khan with Section 51 of WPA and others, including a local accused Dushyant Singh, with Section 51/52 of the WPA and Section 148 of the IPC.
The much stringent charge under Section 27 of the Arms Act was dropped against Salman. The Supreme Court later upheld the Rajasthan High Court's decision.
Saif, Tabu, Neelam and Bendre have been charged under the WPA for hunting and inciting Salman to hunt, and for forming an unlawful assembly. The incident dates back to the intervening night of October 1-2, 1998 when two blackbucks were shot dead by the actors in Kankani village near Jodhpur during the shooting of the film Hum Saath Saath Hain.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Chandrakala Jain read out the charges and the case will be heard next on April 27 when the witnesses would be examined. The actors are not required to appear in court unless required for identification by witnesses.
While all actors present in Court denied the charges read out to them, Salman remained absent from the proceedings. His lawyer moved an application in Court seeking exemption on ground of illness. Salman is currently in the US.
In the hit-and-run case in Mumbai, Salman will appear in person on March 25 following his return from US on Saturday night. The case would come up for the first time before the Sessions Court. The actor was charged by a Magistrate with a more serious charge of 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder'.