Salman Khan has been found guilty in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case.
Salman Khan, one of Indian's biggest Bollywood stars, was today
found guilty of killing blackbuck near Jodhpur in Rajasthan 20 years ago. Salman Khan was held guilty of killing two blackbucks - an endangered species that is protected under the Indian Wildlife Act - and has been sentenced to five years in jail and fined Rs 10,000 for the incident that took place in 1998. Other actors accused in the case - Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam - were all acquitted. They were all facing charges under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. The verdict led to many reactions on Twitter, where the actor soon began to trend. In fact, the hashtag, #BlackBuckPoachingCase is the top trend on Twitter in India - and has been all morning.
Salman Khan was taken to the Jodhpur Central Jail where Asaram Bapu is also lodged.
While some applauded the verdict, others cracked jokes. See some of the memes below:
There were also those who came out in support of Salman Khan, known popularly as Bhai to his fans:
The blackbuck poaching case dates back to the night of October 2, 1998, when Salman Khan
allegedly shot and killed two blackbucks in Mathania village of Jodhpur. Accompanying him were actors Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam - all of them shooting for
Hum Saath Saath Hain. Salman Khan's co-stars were acquitted today for lack of evidence. In October 1998, they were believed to be in the Gypsy that Salman Khan was driving during the alleged hunt near Jodhpur.
The blackbucks were shot dead near a village of Bishnois, a community that revers the animals and is passionate about protecting them. According to the prosecution, Salman Khan spotted a herd of blackbucks and shot dead two of them.
But in an interview to NDTV in 2009, Salman Khan had said that he had "saved the deer" and fed it.
Salman Khan has also been accused of killing two chinkaras and a blackbuck in September 1998. In all, three cases of poaching and one under the Arms Act were registered against Salman Khan in 1998.
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