Film stars Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Neelam and Tabu, facing trial for allegedly poaching endangered blackbuck, gained a respite on Thursday when a Jodhpur court dropped some of the charges against them.
Partially allowing two revision petitions filed by the accused, the court of the additional district judge (ADJ), however, said the stars and another accused would face trial under sections of the Wildlife Protection Act.
Charges were dropped against Salman under section 27 of the Arms Act and section 148 of IPC for possession of arms with intent to use for an unlawful purpose. Charges framed against the other five accused under sections 147 and 149 of IPC for being part of an unlawful assembly were also dropped.
The accused had filed revision petitions against charges framed against them on February 27 in the court of the judicial magistrate in connection with the alleged poaching of black buck at Kankani in October 1998.
Salman has already been convicted in two other poaching cases in Rajasthan and given two separate jail terms of five years and one year. He has filed appeals against both convictions in a higher court.