Overview

• The Rajasthan government has filed a leave-to-appeal petition challenging the trial court’s acquittal of Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam, and Sonali Bendre in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case.
• The High Court has transferred Salman Khan’s appeal against his 2018 conviction for a five-year prison sentence to be heard alongside the state’s petition.
• Justice Manoj Kumar Garg has scheduled a joint hearing for all related appeals on July 28, 2025, marking a significant step in the decades-long legal proceedings.
• The alleged poaching incident occurred in October 1998 during the filming of the Bollywood movie 'Hum Saath Saath Hain' in Kankani village, Rajasthan.
• This case underscores the enforcement of India’s Wildlife Protection Act and has drawn sustained public attention due to the involvement of high-profile Bollywood personalities.