1998 wildlife case: Salim Khan can't attend court due to malaria

NAVI MUMBAI: Veteran Bollywood writer and celebrity, Salim Khan, was unable to attend the Panvel Court hearing today in connection with the October 1998 case of forest department's raid on his Panvel based farmhouse from where one blackbuck, two chitals and one peahen were seized.
One of the lawyers of Salim Khan told TOI that his client was not able to attend the court on health ground, as he is presently suffering from malaria.
Three of the four witnesses summoned by the Judicial Magistrate's Court First Class arrived today to give their testimony in this over 15 year old case. The former assistant conservator of forests (ACF) S A Momin, and two wildlife activists Debi Goenka and Manish Moghe were seen at the court premises to appear as witnesses and give their accounts of the raid which had taken place on October 15, 1998, at the Panvel based `Arpita Farmhouse', owned by Salim Khan.
The fourth witness, the then deputy conservator of forests (DCF), R K Das, has reportedly not responded to the court summons today.
"In 1998, I had gone along with the forest officials to raid the Panvel based farmhouse from where we had found protected wildlife animals. A long time has passed since that raid took place and an FIR was subsequently lodged against Salim Khan and one caretaker of the farmhouse under the Wildlife (Protection) Act of 1972. So, I am here to give my statement in front of the judge now,'' said the environmentalist and wildlife activist, Debi Goenka.