Black buck case: Sonali, Tabbu appear before court

Film actors Sonali Bendre and Tabbu were today produced before a court here by the defence for their identification by the witness in the black buck poaching case of 1998.
Eye witness Poonam Chand, whose cross examination by the defence was underway, refused to identify Sonali while on the other actor, he said "she looked like Tabbu."
Besides these two, actors Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan and Neelam are also accused in the case along with two others.
Public prosecutor Upendra Shamra objected to these actors being produced in the court unexpectedly, and said, "Both the actresses were produced in the court in a manner that they look identical and that too without bringing this to any notice of the court and the prosecution."

"I pray to produce them in the court in proper manner so that we can examine the witness in their presence," Sharma said.
CJM (Jodhpur) Chandra Kala Jain then deferred the matter for Tuesday.

Besides, the court accepted an application by K K Vyas, the counsel of Saif, Sonali and Neelam seeking permission for cross examination of the witness, for which it ordered to deposit a cost of Rs 5000 in the forest department.
"During previous hearing, we could not cross examination the witness and today, we moved an application in the court seeking permission for cross examination, upon which the court allowed us with a cost of Rs 5000, to be deposited in the Forest Department within three days," said Vyas.

Although the court accepted the request, it warned that if they fail to deposit the cost, their cross examination will not be taken on record, said Mahipal Bishnoi, the counsel for complainant and eye witness Poonam Chand.