Salman Khan apologizes after 18 years for ‘mistakenly’ giving fake affidavit in poaching case

Mumbai : Bollywood superstar Salman Khan was booked under the Arms Act during the black deer hunting case. In this case, when Salman Khan was asked for a license, he submitted an affidavit in the court and said that his license has been lost somewhere. Now after 18 years, this affidavit has turned out to be false. On February 9, the case was heard in Jodhpur court through video conferencing. The court will deliver its verdict on the matter on 11 February.

During the hearing, Salman’s advocate Hastimal Saraswat said in the court that on 8 August 2003, the wrong affidavit was given. This mistake has happened inadvertently. When Salman was arrested in the year 1998 in the black deer hunting case, the court had asked him for an arms license. In 2003, Salman had given an affidavit in the court that his license had been lost somewhere.

A copy of the FIR was also produced in the court, but the court found that Salman’s license has not been lost anywhere. He himself had submitted the arms licence to get it renewed from the Renewal Branch. After this, the then Public Prosecutor Bhavani Singh Bhati filed an application in the court under CrPC 340 requesting that Salman Khan be booked for trying to mislead the court. The case was heard on 9 February in the District and Sessions District Jodhpur Court.

On the other hand, during the hearing, Salman’s lawyer Hastimal Saraswat argued that Salman Khan is a big star and he remains very busy at work. For this reason, Salman forgot that the license has been submitted for renewal. Saraswat appealed for the acquittal of Salman Khan in the said case. The debate was concluded on both sides. In the court, Salman’s advocate admitted that he had made a mistake, but this mistake was done inadvertently. Now on February 11, the court will pronounce its order on this application.

Salman Khan’s difficulties in this matter do not seem to be diminishing. There is a provision of a maximum sentence of 7 years in the case of presenting false affidavits in court or giving false testimony. The government, while presenting an application against Salman, has demanded a case under IPC 193. Now Salman will have to wait till the court’s decision on 11 February.