By IANS
Jodhpur : A district court here Friday issued an arrest warrant for Bollywood actor Salman Khan, dismissing his plea against a five-year jail term handed by a lower court for hunting an endangered chinkara deer nine years ago. Salman is to file a review petition in the Rajasthan High Court.
Lawyers here said the actor, who is currently in Mumbai, would be arrested unless he surrendered before the court. Though Salman’s lawyers tried to seek time for surrender, the court rejected it and directed that an arrest warrant be issued in his name.
Salman was supposed to surrender before 5 p.m. in the court but could not do so as he missed his flight, said a source.
The court is closed for the weekend and also on Tuesday for Rakhi, so Salman is likely to surrender on Wednesday, giving him a breather. However, there were unconfirmed reports that the Rajasthan government was sending a five-member team of policemen to Mumbai Friday to arrest the actor.
In April last year, Salman had filed an appeal in the district and sessions court against the judgement of the chief judicial magistrate’s court in Jodhpur that had sentenced him to five years rigorous imprisonment and fined him Rs.25,000.
The chief judicial magistrate’s court had found Salman guilty under Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Salman spent three nights in Jodhpur Central Jail before the district and sessions court gave him bail.
On Friday district and sessions judge Kamal Raj Singhvi rejected his appeal and upheld the five-year jail term and the fine.
The star of such hit films as “Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam” and “Hum Apke Hain Koun”, failed to appear for the hearing Friday, saying he had missed the flight to Jodhpur from Hyderabad where he was shooting.
However, his sister Alvira was present in court.
Salman’s counsel Dipesh Mehta said: “We would certainly file a review petition in the high court as soon as possible. We expect to get the certified copy of the judgement today. We would study it and file it soon.”
He said Salman did not appear in the court personally as the court had given no directive in this regard.
The Bishnoi community, which considers the chinkara deer sacred, has been insisting that Salman be brought to book for the crime and did not take kindly to his absence.
“Salman had an inkling that his appeal would be turned down so he did not come to court. The judge said his presence or absence did not matter since it was judgement time,” said Mahipal Bishnoi, the lawyer for the Bishnoi community.
Salman has been convicted of poaching a chinkara deer at Ghoda farm near Jodhpur on the night of Sep 28, 1998, while filming for Sooraj Barjatya’s blockbuster “Hum Saath Saath Hain”.
A case was registered against Salman and five others under the Indian Penal Code, the Wildlife Protection Act and the Indian Arms Act at Mathania police station on Oct 11, 1998.
Salman, who faces four cases in Jodhpur, has also been sentenced to one-year imprisonment in another poaching case in Bhawad and has filed an appeal there too.
Salman’s possible incarceration would stall projects in the pipeline worth Rs.750 million.
Salman has three films on the floor presently – Rumi Jaffery’s romantic comedy “God Tussi Great Ho”, Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s musical “Sawariya” and Boney Kapoor’s crime thriller “Wanted: Dead or Alive”.
“None of his films are worth less then Rs.250 million and he was supposed to sign two more films. But that now seems unlikely,” said a source close to the actor.
In fact, the macho actor was shooting for Boney Kapoor’s crime thriller “Wanted” in Hyderabad when the judge gave the ruling.
Directed by Prabu Deva, “Wanted” is a remake of hit Telugu film “Pokri” and has Ayesha Takia in the female lead.
Apart from the three films, Salman was in talks with Rajkumar Santoshi for his “London Dreams”.
Salman is also doing special appearances in two films – he is playing himself in Farah Khan’s second directorial venture “Om Shanti Om”, and featuring in Chetan Bhagat’s “Hello”. However, the fate of these two films don’t hinge on Salman.
After his jail stint last year, Salman featured in “Partner”, “Marigold”, “Salaam-E-Ishq”, “Baabul”, “Jaan-E-Mann” and “Shaadi Karke Phas Gaya Yaar”. Of these films, only “Partner” hit the bull’s eye at the box office.