When the trial court issued a chargesheet in 2002 on the blackbuck case, Khan went to sessions court, which overturned the charges under the Arms Act. Now the government has filed for a revision petition in high court asking for charges under Arms Act to remain, for without those charges, the case could weaken. A pistol and a gun had been recovered from Khan with licenses that were not valid for Rajasthan.

The blackbuck case has also had its share of twists and turns but officials of the forest department say they have been able to build a sound case. The case had weakened when a local veterinary doctor mislead the investigation, saying that the blackbuck had died because of ‘overeating’.

But the carcass was exhumed and a DNA sample was taken to the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology in Hyderabad. It was established that the carcass was that of a blackbuck and that it had been killed and not died a natural death.

The forest department is now waiting for the verdict of the high court on the Arms Act. The final trial will then start in the sessions court.

In another case of chinkara poaching by Khan, the government has already appealed against the one-year sentence awarded to him.

As these cases drag on, it is more a question of patience and perseverance rather than legalese. So far, the Rajasthan forest department is clearly not letting the cases get lost in the legal wrangles.

... contd.