The Jodhpur District and Sessions Court on Thursday dismissed the state government’s plea on trying Bollywood actor Salman Khan for submitting fake affidavits in connection with the blackbuck poaching case, reported news agency ANI. Salman recently apologised for submitting false affidavits in the court ‘mistakenly’, stating that he had lost his gun’s licence, when in fact, it was up for renewal. 

In 1998, when Salman Khan had allegedly shot and killed two blackbucks, an FIR was filed against him under the Arms Act. The court had demanded to see his licence. Responding to that, he had filed an affidavit stating that his licence was lost in 2003. At the last hearing, his lawyer requested to the court that the actor be forgiven because he had forgotten about his licence due to his busy schedule.

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After citing health reasons, the actor did not appear in the court personally on the previous hearing on February 6. He was permitted to attend the hearing virtually. Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice Dinesh Mehta had allowed him to appear virtually, since his presence would also attract a huge crowd.

However, on the day of the hearing, the ‘Dabangg’ star did not appear in the courtroom. The court then postponed the day of the next hearing on February 24.

The infamous case of poaching two blackbucks in 1998, during the shooting of ‘Hum Sath Sath Hai’, is going on for almost 23 years.

In 2018, Salman Khan was sentenced to five years in prison by the trial court. The actor had challenged this sentence in the sessions court.