Bollywood actor Salman Khan has been found guilty in the two-decade-old blackbuck poaching case. The 52-year-old actor was found guilty of hunting blackbuck while working on the film ‘Hum Saath Saath Hain’ in 1998, reports NDTV.

He was present in the Jodhpur court on Thursday along with his co-stars Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam. His co-actors from the movie - Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam - have been acquitted in the case.

The blackbuck is an endangered species and is protected under the Indian Wildlife Act. The poaching had taken place near a village of Bishnois, a community that revers blackbuck and is passionate about protecting these animals.

The charges have been filed under section 9/51 of the Wildlife Protection Act. If convicted, Salman faces a maximum prison sentence of six years, and minimum of one year.

The other accused – Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam and Sonali – have been charged with abetting poaching (section 9/51 read with 52 of the Wildlife Protection Act) and illegal assembly (section 149 of the Indian Penal Code). Punishment for this is the same as that for poaching – a minimum jail term of one year upto a maximum of six years.

On October 2, 1998, the forest department registered a report against Salman, Saif, Tabu, Neelam, Sonali , Dushyant and Dinesh Ganware for poaching of two blackbucks in Kankani village. Following the investigation, the forest department filed a complaint against Salman and the others.