Black buck case: Court completes hearing of arguments from Salman Khan's side

Jodhpur court on Monday completed hearing of arguments from Bollywood actor Salman Khan's side in the black bucks poaching case.

Khan's counsel Hastimal Saraswat has been arguing with the then Forest Officer Lalit Bora, who had first registered the case against the actor on the basis of the statements of Harish Dulani, driver of the vehicle allegedly used in the poaching by Khan.

"We have completed arguments with Bora and now the counsels of the co-accused would begin arguments from tomorrow," Saraswat said.

Besides Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre, Neelam and two others are the co-accused in this case. Dinesh Gawre has been missing and the investigation against him is pending. The case against them was registered on the complaint of Bora for alleged poaching of two black bucks in Kankani area near here on October 1-2, 1998.

The court had granted Saraswat permission to recall Bora in September. But Bora could not appear due to ill-health.

Along with this plea, Saraswat had also sought permission from the court to produce a video cassette with the recording of statements of Khan immediately after the registration of case against him.

"There were some apparent difference between the written statements and those recorded during interrogation by Bora. In order to address that difference, we wanted to see the video recording of those statements," said Saraswat.