Blackbuck case: Salman Khan bail plea hearing adjourned until July 17

Salman Khan's bail plea in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case will be heard by a Jodhpur court today. Khan had earlier been found guilty of killing blackbucks and sentenced to 5 years in jail

Salman Khan's bail plea hearing in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case was on Monday adjourned to July 17 by a Jodhpur trial court. The Bollywood actor arrived in Rajasthan's Jodhpur on Sunday afternoon to appear before the court. Khan had on April 5 been convicted in the 19-year-old case and sentenced to five years in jail for killing two blackbucks in Jodhpur during the shooting of the 1998 movie Hum Saath Saath Hain.

Subsequently, Salman was granted bail after spending two nights in the Jodhpur Central jail. Salman's Hum Saath Saath Hain co-stars Tabu, Sonali Bendre, Saif Ali Khan and Neelam and Jodhpur resident Dushyant Singh, another accused in the case, were all acquitted due to lack of evidence.

The blackbuck case is not the only instance of legal trouble Khan is facing. Also in April, a Mumbai court cancelled the bailable warrant against Khan in connection with the 2002 hit and run case. The court had issued the bailable warrant as Khan had not completed the procedure of providing surety on the past two dates. Further, a Ludhiana court on May 1 rejected a petition against Salman and Shilpa Shetty that sought action against them under the SC/ST Act for allegedly using derogatory words against the Valmiki community. In the same case, the Supreme Court on April 23 put on hold proceedings pending against Khan before several courts across the country in cases registered under the SC/ST Act.

Salman is set to be back on the small screen as the host of Dus Ka Dum and is shooting for the big screen venture Race 3, among other projects.

Here are the top 10 developments in the Salman Khan blackbuck poaching case:

1) Salman Khan's blackbuck case hearing adjourned to July 17: The Jodhpur court on Monday adjourned until July 17 Salman Khan's plea challenging the trial court order sentencing him to a five-year jail term in the blackbuck poaching case. District and Sessions Judge Chandra Kumar Songara adjourned the hearing after the defence counsel Mahesh Bora sought time to begin arguments.

Khan appeared before the judge in compliance with the directions given by the court on April 7 while granting bail. Salman was seen leaving the Jodhpur trial court soon after.

Khan arrived in Jodhpur on Sunday afternoon, while his fans were seen trying hard to get a glimpse of the actor as he left the airport.

2) Salma's sister, close friend accompany him: Salman hasn't gone to Jodhpur alone. Apart from his lawyers, he was accompanied by his sister Alvira and friend Baba Siddiqui.

3) Blackbuck poaching case history: Salman on April 5 was convicted in the blackbuck poaching case and sentenced to five-year imprisonment by Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri in Jodhpur. Before he was granted bail by the sessions court on April 7, he spent two nights in the Jodhpur Central jail.

Pop sensation Justin Bieber arrives in India

Justin Bieber is accompanied by Bollywood star Salman Khan's personal bodyguard Shera

International pop sensation Justin Bieber arrived here on Wednesday for his maiden concert in India.

The 23-year-old arrived at the Kalina airport at around 1:30 am in a chartered flight along with his crew.

The singer, who was sporting a pink hoodie, rushed out of the airport, where a group of fans had gathered to welcome him, to a waiting car which took him to his hotel in Lower Parel. He was accompanied by Bollywood star Salman Khan's personal bodyguard Shera.

His backstage crew, along with his security team, is already stationed in the hotel.

After rocking the stage in Dubai on May 6, the "Love Yourself" singer is set to perform in Mumbai on Wednesday.

A rage among the youth, especially teenagers, Bieber is touring to promote his critically-acclaimed album "Purpose".

Titled the "Purpose World Tour", around 45,000 'Beliebers' are expected to be in attendance for the Grammy- winning singer's first-ever show in India at Navi Mumbai's D Y Patil Stadium.

Navi Mumbai Police Commissioner Hemant Nagrale said 500 security personnel along with 25 officers have been deployed to ensure proper security at the stadium, with drone cameras keeping a constant watch.

Apart from local police and the singer's own security detail, Salman Khan's bodyguard Shera has also been roped in to ensure Bieber's safety. Read more

SC admits plea challenging Salman Khan's acquittal in hit and run case

SC admits plea challenging Salman Khan's acquittal in hit and run case

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan wanted the Supreme Court to hear the 2002 hit-and-run case against him on merit, his lawyer said on Tuesday.

"The honourable Supreme Court had on the last date asked us whether Salman would consent to the Supreme Court hearing the case on merits. On Tuesday, we informed the honourable Supreme Court that we had taken instructions from our client Salman Khan and the matter should be heard on merits."

"Accordingly, leave is granted and the final hearing will take place in due course," Salman's lawyer Anand Desai, from DSK Legal, said in a statement to IANS.(more)

How Virat Kohli cracked the Rs 100-crore league

Virat Kohli is today, without doubt, India's premier human brand. And, that transformation, the meteoric rise, has taken place between Diwali (October 2015) and Holi (March 2016). Kohli's rankings were on the ascendant for the last three to four years, but he remained in the shadow of his captain and senior team mate, MS Dhoni. Besides sportsmen, typically lag the Bollywood troika of the Khans and Mr. Bachchan when it comes to celebrity rankings. But Kohli has managed to change all that.

The World Cup T-20 ignited Brand Virat Kohli. I studied the brand's evolution on 64 parameters and found that the rise in valuations is quite unprecedented. I have been tracking personality brands for well over a decade and such a major metamorphosis in a brand's attribute wheel, that too in such a short period, has rarely been observed. One reason is, of course, the phenomenal exposure that live television provides today. As a result after the T-20 matches, Virat's explosive batting and soaring sixes - not to forget his nimble running between the wickets - were seared into public memory.

When I finished one round of field studies in October-November last year, over a sample of over 2,500 respondents across five cities, Kohli was not in the position he is today. I then ran a purposive sample just after the World Cup T-20. In the interim six months, he had zoomed to the top, leaving Salman Khan who was top-of-the-pops in the last round way behind.

What makes Virat so special? When we look at his brand map, we find that his scores have zoomed on parameters labelled tough, dynamic, innovative and reliable. Kohli is regarded as progressive and contemporary, but most importantly, he is rated very high on being distinctive, stylish and prestigious. On most of these attributes his scores have doubled in a mere six months; that too across gender, demographics and geographies.

Judging by these responses, there is obviously more to Brand Virat than just his cricket. The fact that he is no longer seen to be arrogant (as he was perceived in his early years) is interesting. He is believed, on the contrary, to be very approachable and straight-forward, which means that his behaviour, on-field and off-the-field, is being closely watched by millions of his fans. His flying a kiss off his bat to then lady love Anushka; his bowing to icon Sachin Tendulkar in the pavilion on achieving a batting milestone; his appeal to everyone on social media to not troll his 'ex' - these actions seem to have endeared him to many. And for brand managers all around the world, these are all indicators of the making of a brand that transcends mere power drives and lofted maximums.Read More.

Jodhpur court summons Salman for recording statement

The trial court hearing a case of alleged illegal possession of arms against Bollywood actor Salman Khan in connection with black buck poaching has summoned him for recording his statements on March 10.

The District and Session Court gave this order after rejecting an application of the defence seeking recalling of a prosecution witness for his examination.

Hit and run case: SC issues notice to Salman Khan

The Supreme court on Friday issued notice to film star Salman Khan on the Maharashtra government's petition challenging a Bombay High Court verdict acquitting him in a 2002 accident case.

Issuing notice returnable in six weeks, an apex court bench comprising Justice Jagjit Singh Khehar and Justice C Nagappan told Salman Khan that "it would be much, much better if he gets acquittal from this court as it will save him from all the repercussions".

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Shah Rukh Khan unseats Salman as India’s top-earning celeb

Shah Rukh Khan has regained his position as India’s top-earning celebrity with estimated earnings of Rs 257.5 crore this year, pushing Salman Khan to the second position in the latest Forbes list. 

Shah Rukh had lost his top rank to ‘friend and archrival’ Salman last year and had slipped to the third position, Forbes said in its annual India Celebrity List for 2015 today.

Incidentally, the list comes a day after Salman Khan was acquitted by Bombay High Court in a nearly 13-year-old hit and run case. 

Salman’s estimated earnings, as per the latest list, stands at Rs 202.75 crore – more than Rs 50 crore less than that of Shah Rukh Khan. Amitabh Bachchan is at third position, down from his second position last year. 

Forbes said the total wealth of top 100 celebrities stood at Rs 2,819 crore, while cinema and cricket dominate the top-ten positions. 

Mahendra Singh Dhoni has been ranked fourth and is followed by Aamir Khan, Akshay Kumar, Virat Kohli, Sachin Tendulkar, Deepika Padukone and Hrithik Roshan in top-ten. 

Besides the earnings estimates, the overall Celebrity 100 list also takes into account the fame. “Their gross pre-tax earnings are combined with their fame scores to arrive at the Forbes India Celebrity 100 List,” the magazine said. 

In terms of earnings alone also, 50-year-old Shah Rukh topped the list while Salman is at the second position. However, Akshay Kumar ranks higher at third position in terms of earnings and is followed by Dhoni and Bachchan at fourth and fifth places, respectively. 

Forbes said Shah Rukh’s estimated earnings at Rs 257.5 crore is the highest ever any celebrity has made in the four-year history of the Forbes India Celebrity 100 list. 

“In fact, his earnings make up as much as 9 per cent of the total wealth of the top 100 celebrities this year - Rs 2,819 crore,” it said, although he still lags behind at number-four in terms 'fame’ ranking where 73-year-old Bachchan reigns at the top position. 

Amir hhanhas made it to the top five for the first time. He is at number 5 on the list this year and his superhit movie PK and revenues from brand endorsements helped him rake in an estimated Rs 104.25 crore, his highest in the last four years. 

“It is an increase of 145 per cent to the amount he earned in 2012. On the other hand, Alia Bhatt and Madhuri Dixit have moved up the list despite any movie release in the time period under consideration (October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015). Their rise on the list is entirely due to earnings from brand endorsements and their fame quotient,” Forbes said. 

The list this year has also witnessed a few who jumped ranks and moved up considerably higher in just one year. Among the top-three rank gainers are Dhanush (who moved up 41 ranks) and is at number 37, Rohit Sharma and Allu Arjun (both moved up 38 ranks) and are at number 12 and number 42, respectively. 

This year’s list has 14 debutants, among them cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin, who comes in straight at number 31. Filmmaker SS Rajamouli and actor Prabhas make it to the list due to the monster hit Baahubali. 

There were more dropouts this year though – 19 celebs lost their ranks on the Celebrity 100 list for 2015 including Sanjay Leela Bhansali, A R Murugadoss and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.