Key points:
- The Rajasthan High Court on Friday exempted Bollywood actor Salman Khan from appearing in person before the District and Sessions Court (Jodhpur).
- A case was registered against Salman Khan at the Luni police station on October 15, 1998, in the Arms Act. The trial court had acquitted him on January 18, 2017. The appeal of the state government against the decision of acquittal is under consideration in the District and Session Court (Jodhpur).
The division bench of Chief Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice Manoj Kumar Garg, however, refused to intervene on Khan’s plea that Section 437A of Criminal Procedure Code (CRPC) be held unconstitutional.
The Rajasthan High Court on Friday exempted Bollywood actor Salman Khan from appearing in person before the District and Sessions Court (Jodhpur). The district court, while hearing Khan’s appeal against a five-year sentence in the blackbuck poaching case, has ordered him to appear on February 6 before the court in person.
“Salman’s personal appearance leads to a huge crowd in the Sessions Court premises, causing not only law and order problems but other litigants to face trouble. Due to the outbreak of Covid-19, there is a risk of infection from the crowd. After hearing our arguments, the division bench allowed the petitioner to execute and submit bail bond and sureties through video conferencing said Salman’s counsel Hastimal Saraswat.
“Salman is exempt from physical appearance, but the division bench has not interfered in the plea declaring Section 437A of the CrPC unconstitutional,” Additional Advocate General Farzand Ali said.
A case was registered against Salman Khan at the Luni police station on October 15, 1998, in the Arms Act. The trial court had acquitted him on January 18, 2017. The appeal of the state government against the decision of acquittal is under consideration in the District and Sessions Court (Jodhpur).
On April 5, 2018, the trial court sentenced the petitioner to five years in the blackbuck poaching case, its appeal is also under consideration in the sessions court. During the hearing of both these appeals, on January 16 this year, the court directed for the personal appearance of the petitioner.
