24 August 2007
 
Film star Salman Khans appeal against a five-year sentence for poaching was rejected by the District and Sessions Court in Jodhpur today. The judge upheld the 2006 order of the Chief Judicial Magistrate of Jodhpur who had sentenced Khan to five years and one year for two chinkara poaching incidents.
 
The judiciary has sent a clear message that poaching will not be tolerated, and that no-one is above the law. This was an important case, not only because it involved a famous actor but also the death of an endangered species that is only found in India, said Belinda Wright, Executive Director of the Wildlife Protection Society of India.
 
Members of the local Bishnoi community caught Khan hunting blackbuck while he was in Jodhpur in October 1998 for a film shoot. WPSI was requested to come immediately to Jodhpur to assist in the case, which we did. We then helped the prosecution in the preparation of documents for the case, and have been closely monitoring the proceedings ever since.
 
During the initial investigations of the blackbuck case, the Forest Department discovered that Salman Khan had earlier killed chinkara as well. Both these species are given the highest level protection under Indias Wild Life (Protection) Act. Cases were then filed against Khan in the local police station. Todays orders are on the chinkara case.