Before becoming India’s Vice President, Jagdeep Dhankhar had a long journey in the world of law. But one chapter that many people don’t know about is his connection to Bollywood actor Salman Khan. Back in 1998, Dhankhar helped Salman get bail in the blackbuck poaching case.
Dhankhar’s Role in Salman Khan’s Bail
The blackbuck case happened during a film shoot in Kankani village, near Jodhpur in Rajasthan. Salman Khan, along with other actors like Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam, and Sonali Bendre, was accused of killing two blackbucks, which are protected under Indian wildlife law.
At that time, Jagdeep Dhankhar was working as a senior lawyer. He appeared for Salman and the others in court and was among the first to fight their case when the police arrested them.
“Dhankhar was the first lawyer to argue the case for Salman Khan when Jodhpur Police arrested him in 1998, and get bail for him and the other accused,” said advocate Praveen Balwada, who was assisting Dhankhar at the time.
“That was the only period when Dhankhar represented Salman Khan in the black buck case, and wasn’t engaged in the case at the subsequent stages,” Balwada added.
Doubts Over the Investigation
In an old interview with Rediff back in 1998, Dhankhar didn’t directly say whether the actors went hunting. Instead, he questioned how the investigation was carried out.
“There were 300 people on the sets. How come none knew when the incident occurred?” he asked, hinting that something didn’t add up in the police version.
He also defended Salman’s conduct after the arrest. “I pleaded before the judge stating that Salman had fully co-operated with the police after his arrest and therefore there is every reason to grant him bail,” Dhankhar said.
He went on to question the timeline in the complaint. “When the villagers say the actors were involved in the killing, why did they not chase them right then rather than lodging a complaint after three weeks?” he argued.
Salman’s Conviction and Bail in 2018
After many years, the case became very important. On April 5, 2018, Salman Khan was found guilty and sent to jail in Jodhpur. He stayed in jail for two nights before the court gave him bail.
On April 7, the judge, Ravindra Kumar Joshi, gave him bail on a bond of ₹50,000 and two sureties of ₹25,000 each. The court also said he should not leave the country without permission and must come back to court on May 7, 2018.
By that time, Dhankhar was not part of the case anymore, but his help in getting the first bail was still an important part of the story.
Dhankhar’s Journey After That
After his legal work, Dhankhar moved into politics. He joined the BJP in 2003 and later became the Governor of West Bengal in 2019. A few years later, in 2022, he was nominated as the NDA’s Vice Presidential candidate and went on to win.
He recently stepped down from the Vice President’s post, citing health issues. But many people still don’t know that long before all this, Dhankhar once stood in court for Salman Khan, during one of the most talked-about wildlife cases in India.
ALSO READ: When ‘Ramayana’ Actor Ranbir Kapoor Revealed He Rejected Films Because He Hates Getting Wet
