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Wrongly Convicted Database Record
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Charge: |
Poaching (Including violating Wildlife Protection Law) |
Sentence: |
"1 to 5 years & Rs 5,000 fine" |
Years Imprisoned: |
0.02 |
Year Crime: |
1998 |
Year Convicted: |
2006 |
Year Cleared: |
2016 |
U.S. State or Country of Crime: |
India |
County or Region of Crime: |
Rajasthan |
City of Crime: |
Bhawad |
Result: |
Judicially Exonerated |
Summary of Case: |
"Salman Khan was wrongly convicted on April 10, 2006 of violating Section 51 of India's Wildlife Protection Act for the poaching of a Blackbuck (Indian antelope) in Mathania (Ghoda Farm), India on September 28-29, 1998. Mathania was near Jodhpur, where Khan, one of India's most popular movie actors who appeared in many Bollywood movies, was shooting the film "Hum Sath Sath Hain." In 2015 was the 7th highest paid actor in the world. Khan's prosecution was based on the testimony of the vehicle's driver who testified that Khan killed the animal. After his conviction following a bench trial, Khan was sentenced in 2007 to five years in prison and fined Rs.5,000. Khan was jailed and served six days of his sentence before he was released on bail pending the outcome of his appeal. On July 25, 2016 the Rajasthan High Court acquitted Salmon Khan of two separate poaching convictions -- his February 2006 conviction and his April 2006 conviction. The Court overturned Khan's convictions on the basis of evidentiary errors and insufficient evidence of his guilty. One reason cited was the appeals court found that the pellets from Khan's rifle didn't match those found in the vehicle from which the shots were allegedly fired to kill the animals. Salman Khan was also wrongly convicted in a separate case on February 17, 2006 of violating Section 51 of India's Wildlife Protection Act for the poaching of a Chinkara (Indian gazelle that resembles a deer) near the village of Bhawad on September 26-27, 1998. He was also acquitted of that conviction on July 25, 2016 based on insufficient evidence to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. Salman Khan was also wrongly convicted on May 6, 2015 of eight charges related an incident in September 2002 when a car he was in ran over several men man sleeping in the street outside a bakery in Mumbai, India. On December 10, 2015 the Mumbai High Court overturned Khan's conviction on the basis the prosecution introduced insufficient evidence to prove his guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, because it had neither been proven he had been drinking nor that he was driving the vehicle." |
Conviction Caused By: |
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Innocence Proved By: |
"On July 25, 2016 the Rajasthan High Court acquitted Salmon Khan of two separate poaching convictions -- his February 2006 conviction and his April 2006 conviction. The Court overturned Khan's convictions on the basis of evidentiary errors and insufficient evidence of his guilty. One reason cited was the appeals court found that the pellets from Khan's rifle didn't match those found in the vehicle from which the shots were allegedly fired to kill the animals." |
Defendant Aided By: |
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Compensation Awarded: |
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Was Perpetrator Identified? |
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Age When Imprisoned: |
41 |
Age When Released: |
41 |
Sex: |
Male |
Skin/Ethnicity: |
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Information Source 1: |
"Pellets not fired from Salman Khan’s licensed gun: HC acquits actor in poaching cases, By Staff, IndiaTVNews.com, July 25, 2016" |
Information Location 1: |
http://www.indiatvnews.com/entertainment/bollywood-salman-khan-acquitted-by-jodhpur-high-court-in-poaching-cases-340833 |
Information Source 2: |
"Six reasons why Rajasthan high court acquitted Salman Khan in poaching case, By Vijay Vidrohi, ABPLive.comJuly 25, 2016" |
Information Location 2: |
http://www.abplive.in/india-news/six-reasons-why-rajasthan-high-court-acquitted-salman-khan-in-poaching-case-386750 |
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Comments About Case: |
Innocents Database Created and Maintained by Hans Sherrer innocents@forejustice.org