When Salman Khan got bailed out of jail by former Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar in a high-profile case

Salman Khan, who was one of the accused in the 1999 blackbuck poaching case, managed to secure bail with the help of former vice president Jagdeep Dhankar. The latter recently stepped down from the position of India's vice president, citing health issues.

How was Salman Khan bailed by Jagdeep Dhankar in the 1999 case?

Former vice president Jagdeep Dhankar was a senior advocate and expert in the constitution. And for the unversed, he was a counsel for actor Salman Khan and the other accused in the case. And that's how he assisted them in getting bail.


In 1998, he was one of the advocates representing Salman Khan's side. The actor's side also included Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam, and Sonali Bendre. Praveen Balwada, who was Dhankar's assistant at that time, told India Today, "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." However, Jagdeep Dhankar wasn't representing Khan in the next phases of the case.

Later, speaking with Rediff On The Net, the ex-vice president confirmed his involvement in the case.

Dhankar talks about Salman Khan's case

In the Rediff interview, when he was asked if the star really went for hunting with other actors, Dhankar decided not to give a straight answer. The senior lawyer also questioned the investigation's credibility.

He added, "I pleaded before the judge, stating that Salman had fully cooperated with the police after his arrest, and therefore there is every reason to grant him bail."

Dhankar shared that he argued in the court, saying that if the villagers claimed to have seen the actors killing the animal, why didn't they chase them down at that time?

The blackbuck case

Salman Khan, who was shooting for a Sooraj Barjatya film in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, was accused of allegedly killing two blackbucks when he, along with other actors, went for hunting. The animal is an endangered species protected under India's Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”