Agencies

Mumbai, May 5: Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bhendre, Neelam and Tabu, got some respite on Thrusday, when a Jodhpur court dropped some of the charges against them. The Bollywood actors are facing trial for allegedly poaching endangered blackbuck. The court partially allowed two revision petitions filed by the accused. However Salman and his co-stars and another accused would face trial under Sections of the Wildlife Protection Act.

Salman Khan’s charges under Section 27 of the Arms Act and Section 148 of Indian Penal Code for possession of arms with intent to use for an unlawful purpose were dropped. Salman has already been convicted in two other poaching cases in Rajasthan and given terms of five years and one year, and on account of which he spent three days in prison last month and was later released on bail.

Charges framed against Saif Ali Khan and others under Sections 147 and 149 of IPC for being part of an unlawful assembly were also dropped.

The Bollywood stars 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 blackbuck at Kankani in October 1998.