Salman Khan Legal Notice To Kala Hiran: Salman Khan’s 28-year-old Black Buck case is still holding onto him, and things took a legal turn when Salman sent a legal notice to the makers to filmmaker Amit Jani, for his upcoming feature film Kala Hiran, aiming to block its release and promotion.
The movie which recently released its first poster has been making waves as it is a crime thriller and courtroom drama which directly adapts Salman’s 1998 case along with his highly infamous real-world conflict with notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
If you are wondering about the legal notice or the history of Salman’s case, here is everything you need to know about both.
Why Has Salman Khan Sent a Legal Notice?
The upcoming film Kala Hiran has been filmed across several locations in Uttar Pradesh, including Sambhal and Moradabad. After the makers released the first promotional poster, Salman Khan’s legal team moved quickly to issue a notice to halt the project.
The notice targets the film’s depiction of the highly sensitive legal matter, his subsequent arrest, and the deep-seated rivalry with Lawrence Bishnoi. The producer, Amit Jani, has publicly claimed intimidation from the superstar’s camp, putting the movie’s timeline and release under heavy judicial scrutiny.
The Backstory: What Happened in 1998?
The roots of the controversy go back to September and October of 1998. Salman Khan was in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, filming for Sooraj Barjatya’s multi-starrer family drama, Hum Saath-Saath Hain.
During breaks in the shooting schedule, Salman Khan, along with co-stars Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre, and Neelam Kothari, allegedly went on a series of night safaris.
On the night of October 1–2, 1998, two blackbucks, which are an endangered species in India, were shot and killed in the suburban Kankani village near Jodhpur.
Local villagers belonging to the Bishnoi community heard gunfire, chased the vehicle and identified Salman Khan as the driver. They subsequently filed an official complaint with the local forest department.
The Bishnoi community practices a unique sect of Hinduism that treats wildlife and nature as deeply sacred. The blackbuck is revered by them, which explains why the community actively pursued the case as a matter of cultural and religious protection.
The Decades-Long Legal Timeline
This has neither been easy nor a short stint for Salman as the legal battle surrounding this has been in various courts across the nation. From the sessions court, the Rajasthan High Court and the Supreme Court of India, this high-profile case has been juggling everywhere.
The legal battle has bounced back and forth between the trial courts, the Sessions Court, the Rajasthan High Court, and the Supreme Court of India
The legal battle has bounced back and forth between trial courts, the Sessions Court, the Rajasthan High Court, and the Supreme Court of India.
First Arrest: October 1998
Salman Khan was arrested by the forest department in connection with the poaching incident. He spent five days in custody before being released on bail.
First Trial Court Conviction: April 2006
A Jodhpur trial court convicted Salman Khan under Section 51 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. He was sentenced to five years in prison and fined ₹25,000. He challenged the ruling and secured bail.
The Jail Stint: August 2007
The Sessions Court upheld his conviction, dismissing his appeal. Salman surrendered and spent six days in the Jodhpur Central Jail before the Rajasthan High Court suspended his sentence.
High Court Acquittal: July 2016
The Rajasthan High Court acquitted Salman Khan in related Chinkara poaching cases, citing a lack of evidence. The court noted that the pellets recovered from the animals could not be definitively linked to Khan’s licensed firearm. The Rajasthan government immediately appealed this to the Supreme Court.
The 2018 Verdict: April 2018
In the main Kankani blackbuck case, Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri sentenced Salman Khan to five years in prison. Crucially, his co-stars Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre, and Neelam were acquitted due to a lack of corroborating evidence. Salman spent two nights in jail before obtaining bail.
Case Transferred to High Court: March 2022
The Rajasthan High Court granted permission to transfer two pending petitions from the Jodhpur District and Sessions Court to the High Court, consolidating the ongoing legal arguments.
The Lawrence Bishnoi Complication
This infamous incident has not been just a legal battle but rather took a turn which potentially is dangerous for Salman Khan’s life as well. Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi who is from the same Bishnoi Community that originally filed the case has issued multiple death threats to Salman Khan over the years. He constantly demands a formal apology from the actor at their community temple for his doing.
This feud has been a reason for Bhaijaan’s sleepless nights as the potential threat is just too much to ignore. Even Mumbai police has been pushed to heighten the superstar’s security to Y-plus, making this cinematic adaptation of the movie Kala Hiran, a very volatile matter for Salman Khan and company.
As things stand, Salman Khan is out on bail while his legal struggles continue jumping in courts but this legal notice served to the makers of Kala Hiran can be seen as an effort to prevent any new narrative, as this high profile case has a lot on the line for the actor who could not simply allow an ongoing court case being dramatized on the big screen with a chance of creating a false narrative around his name and ruin everything.
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