Macho Bollywood actor Khan jailed in wildlife case
Reuters
Published: Saturday, August 25, 2007
JODHPUR, India (Reuters) - Bollywood star Salman Khan was arrested by Indian police on Saturday and sent to jail after a court rejected his appeal against a five-year sentence for shooting endangered gazelles.

Television pictures showed the muscular actor surrounded by policemen as he left Jodhpur airport after arriving from Mumbai. TV crews and fans jostled to get a glimpse of him and police struggled to keep order.

"He has been arrested at the airport lounge and the arrest warrant was presented to him there," a police official said.



Dozens of fans on motorcycles followed the police vehicle on its way to court where Khan was ordered to be jailed, police officials said. He was immediately taken to the local prison.

The actor said earlier on Saturday he would surrender in Jodhpur after the rejection of the appeal against his 2006 conviction for killing several endangered species of antelope during hunting trips to the western state of Rajasthan in 1998.

The animals are protected under Indian wildlife law.

Khan was alleged to have slit the throat of the chinkara gazelle that he shot before giving it to chefs at his deluxe hotel to cook.

On Friday, a Jodhpur court rejected his appeal against the conviction, leaving him with the option of surrendering or being arrested. The court also issued an arrest warrant against him.

The actor's father, Salim Khan, felt his son received a tough sentence because he was a celebrity.

"Even if you are a public figure it does not mean you should get extra punishment ... treat him like any other man," the actor's father, Salim Khan, told Times Now news channel.

OTHER CASES

Khan had said in Mumbai he planned to surrender in Jodhpur "as a responsible citizen and somebody who abides by the law and respects the judiciary."

He was accompanied by his lawyer and family members, including his actor-brother Sohail Khan.

Renowned for his bad-boy image and romantic liaisons with several Bollywood leading ladies, Khan has several other cases hanging over him.

He was convicted in 2006 for killing protected blackbuck antelopes during Rajasthan hunting trips and given a one-year jail sentence.

He was granted bail and has appealed against that conviction. He has also been charged with other counts of killing wildlife and of breaking gun laws.

In addition, Khan is facing trial over the death of a man sleeping on a pavement in Mumbai in 2002. Khan is suspected of drunk-driving. The actor has denied being at the wheel.

Khan, who plays comedy roles and often acts with his shirt off, is filming three movies costing about 1 billion rupees ($24 million), according to film analyst Taran Adarsh.


© Reuters 2007

This is what he shot/poached (a "Chinkara" which resembles a Thompson's Gazelle): Chinkara


Picture From: http://www.pbase.com/hcarlsen/firstpreviewrajasthan&page=14

You can legally hunt one in Pakistan, the last I heard the Gov. trophy fee was $1000.

These antelopes can increase rapidly if managed properly. It is a tragedy that the Indian government has such an anti hunting stance,and will not consider opening hunting for non threatened species.

Regards
Aziz

aziz i agree it was couple of years ago it was open cause it was drought,but even then they grow very fast i have captive breeded chinkara and hog deer and they grow very fast,but khan is in because of black buck,that too r in a large nos in india.regards

If you are interested in being a hunter in India it must be pretty hard as there is virtually NO LEGAL hunting other than maybe some boar hunting as crop protection. Everything else is poaching.

This actor guy got in trouble hunting near Jodphur as some of the regions people are Bishnoi and actually believe they are re-incarnated as chinkara or blackbuck antelope when they die.

I should be very angry if somebody put my late uncles rincarnation on the dish what a horrible crime he should be punished very severly. hunting should be always reserved to a few choosen ones like maharadjis or brahmans . we should not allow everybody to hunt
yes

Salman Khan gets bail

JODHPUR, Aug 31: An Indian court on Friday granted bail to top Bollywood actor Salman Khan pending his appeal against a conviction for poaching protected wildlife, paving the way for his release from prison.

The 41-year-old star was sent to jail last week after a court threw out an appeal by the actor against his conviction, under which he has to serve a five-year prison term. “The court has accepted his bail plea,†Khan's lawyer told reporters in western Jodhpur city.

The high court will now take up Khan's case on Oct 24.

The actor has also been convicted under India's Wildlife Protection Act in at least one other poaching case.

Khan allegedly shot dead a few endangered antelopes in the western state of Rajasthan during the making of a film in 1998.

Indian courts are often known to take several years, and sometimes decades, to pronounce verdicts because of a lack of resources and too much paperwork. Wildlife activists said they were disappointed about the bail.

“I find it shocking... How many times do we have to convict him?†former environment minister and animal activist Maneka Gandhi told the Times Now television network.

Khan, known for playing a tough guy in Hindi films, also faces charges of manslaughter after a road accident in 2002 left one person dead and four injured.—AFP

Little-known statute offers cash rewards for hunting wild animals
By our correspondent

2 September 2007



BANGALORE — Even as the nation’s attention is riveted on legal battles the brawny film star Salman Khan is facing for killing a blackbuck in the forests of Rajasthan, the existence of a little-known statute in Karnataka that actually provides for rewards to people hunting animals has aroused the ire of wildlife activists and forest department officials.


According to a statute in the Manual of Contingent Expenditure 1958, which exists in the records of Government of Karnataka, killing of wild animals is not a crime, but a symbol of bravery, which entitles a person hunting animals to a reward money starting from Rs2 to Rs500.

The statute also allows the hunter, if he wishes, to keep the skin, nails, claws or any other body parts. Surprisingly, the statute in the Manual of Contingent Expenditure exists in contradiction to the Indian Wildlife Act 1972, which prohibits killing of wild animals.

Karnataka’s Principal Conservator of Forests A.K. Varma is planning to take up the matter seriously. “I will take suitable initiative against the Manual of Contingent Expenditure 1958,†he said. Wildlife activists and environmentalists are also planning to bring pressure on the authorities for deletion of the statute from the manual.

Former public prosecutor Bagalahalli Vishweshwara said the statute could have become part of the Manual of Contingent Expenditure to curb wild animal menace. “Unfortunately, it is an archaic rule, which interestingly continues to exist even when there is a ban on killing wild animals. This should be deleted from the Manual of Contingent Expenditure immediately,†he opined.

The manual prescribes reward money of Rs2 for killing a wild pig, Rs5 for a hyena, Rs10 for a wolf, Rs35 for a tiger and Rs500 for an elephant.

Applicants should produce untanned skin, teeth and claws of the killed animal along with his application to the tahsildar or the deputy commissioner. The deputy commissioner, on the basis of risk and bravery displayed by the hunter, will decide the exact reward money.