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Before he became India's Vice President and a constitutional stalwart, Jagdeep Dhankhar played a pivotal role in one of Bollywood’s most talked-about legal dramas, the 1998 blackbuck poaching case involving superstar Salman Khan. While many now associate Dhankhar with political gravitas, few recall his courtroom battle that momentarily stole the spotlight in a case that gripped the nation.
A Star-Studded Controversy in the Wilds of Rajasthan
The blackbuck incident took place in Kankani village near Jodhpur during the shooting of a film featuring Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam, and Sonali Bendre. They were accused of hunting two blackbucks, a protected species under India’s Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
Salman Khan was arrested in 1998, and that's when Jagdeep Dhankhar entered the frame—not as a politician, but as the lead counsel representing the embattled actor and his co-accused.
Dhankhar’s Legal Strategy: Questioning the Gaps
Dhankhar immediately challenged the investigation's credibility. Speaking to Rediff On The Net back then, he pointed out inconsistencies: “There were 300 people on the sets. How come none knew when the incident occurred?”
He further questioned the villagers' delayed complaint, highlighting the three-week gap in reporting. In court, Dhankhar emphasized Salman Khan's cooperation with police and pushed for bail—an argument that prevailed.
From Courtroom to Raj Bhavan
Although Dhankhar's role in the case was brief limited to the initial bail proceedings it was significant. He later joined the BJP in 2003, rose through its legal ranks, became Governor of West Bengal in 2019, and eventually India’s Vice President in 2022.
His courtroom stint with Salman Khan remains a fascinating, lesser-known chapter in a career largely defined by law, politics, and constitutional affairs.
