Judgment on Salman Khan's illegal arms case deferred till March 3

Mumbai: A court in Jodhpur deferred Salman Khan’s illegal arms case till March 3. Salman Khan and a few other Bollywood stars were accused of poaching blackbucks in October 1998 during the shooting of Hindi movie 'Hum Saath Saath Hain'. Two blackbucks, an endangered animal under the Wildlife Protection Act, were killed on the outskirts of Kankani village near Jodhpur. Earlier, the 49-year-old actor had moved an application seeking exemption from court appearance.

The forest department had registered a case with the local police under the Arms Act, stating that the licenses of the weapons used had expired when he went hunting. But Salman's lawyers argued that he had applied for a renewal of his licence as soon as it expired, hence he was not using them illegally.

Final arguments in the case were completed on February 5. If found guilty, the actor could be sentenced to between three to seven years in jail.