For Salman Khan, Verdict Today On Whether He Shot Blackbuck: 10 Points

NEW DELHI:  Actor Salman Khan faces a court verdict today over allegations of killing blackbucks while on an outdoor film shoot near Jodhpur in Rajasthan 20 years ago. The 52-year-old actor, who allegedly shot two blackbucks in October 1998 during the shooting of the film "Hum Saath Saath Hain", will be present in court along with his co-stars Saif Ali Khan, Tabu and Sonali Bendre. If Salman Khan is convicted, he could face up to six years in jail.

Here are the top developments in the Salman Khan blackbuck poaching case:

1. Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam are also accused in the case. They were present in the vehicle Salman Khan allegedly used for hunting the blackbuck in Kankani village near Jodhpur.

2.Salman Khan and the other actors are facing charges under the Wildlife (Protection) Act. According to news agency ANI, Saif Ali Khan, Neelam and Sonali Bendre's lawyer has said, "if they are found guilty then there is equal punishment for all. The maximum punishment will be for six years, while the minimum sentence will be for one year."

3.The final arguments in the case were completed in a Jodhpur rural court on March 28. Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri had reserved the judgment for today.

4.The blackbuck is an endangered species and is protected under the Indian Wildlife Act.

5.The alleged poaching took place near a village of Bishnois, a community that revers and protects blackbucks.

6.The villagers, on hearing gunshots, came out running. They allege that they even chased the Gypsy that Salman Khan was driving, and that the actor fled the scene.

7.The deer carcass was found at the spot from where the actors drove away. The Bishnois are key witnesses in the case against Salman Khan.

8.Salman Khan was charged with four cases for poaching and one under the Arms Act in Jodhpur in September-October 1998. His lawyers claim there is no forensic evidence to prove the deer were hunted by guns and killed.

9."The prosecution is alleging that Salman Khan hunted and shot a deer, but there is no evidence of a gun being used and in the bodies of the deer no bullets were found," his lawyer Hastimal Saraswat had said.

10.A video of Saif Ali Khan getting annoyed at the Jodhpur airport over questions on the case and threatening his driver by saying "roll up the window and drive or else will slap you" has gone viral on social media.