(This story originally appeared in on Jan 27, 2017)

JODHPUR: The Bollywood actors Salman Khan, Sonali Bendre and Tabu recorded their statements before leaving the court. According to a news channel, Salman Khan was asked 68 questions. He also claimed not guilty and also added that the blackbuck had a 'natural death'. He also claimed that only the forst forensic report was correct. He also denied going out that night.Earlier, Bollywood actors Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan , Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam gave their personal statements before a court in Jodhpur in the 19-year-old blackbuck poaching case The sun city attracted rains on Republic Day but fans of the star, their enthusiasm un-dampened, may line up the road outside the court of the chief judicial magistrate DS Rajpurohit, near Paota chowk on Friday. It is the last pending trial that Salman Khan, who has four acquittals so far, faces.Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam, are the co-accused in the original case filed during the shoot of a film ' Hum Saath Saath Hain ' in September 1998. They are facing charges of hunting two blackbucks—Indian Antelope-- under the Wildlife Protection Act and Indian Penal Code. They reached Jodhpur on January 26.The actors have denied the charges read out to them by the judge.The trial is at the fag end. The proceedings on Friday are for recording statements under section 313 of the criminal procedure code, a provision that enables accused to have their say.The section 313, CrPC is a legal provision to meet with principles of natural justice which allows an accused to personally give an explanation to circumstances in the evidence against him. The statement usually recorded as a series of replies to questions asked by a judge is not on oath and is not treated as evidence under law. But it is taken into consideration by the court to appreciate the truthfulness or otherwise of the case of the prosecution.Salman Khan, out on bail, was arrested on October 12, 1998 in the case from Umaid Bhavan Palace in the case.The trial has been going on for years and included a round of litigation that went to the higher judiciary and back. In all, about 29 witnesses were examined by prosecution, including four doctors of the medical board, a DNA expert and eye witnesses. There have been no defence witnesses so far in the trial that is on before the chief judicial magistrate (rural), Jodhpur.The International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources lists the blackbuck as 'Near Threatened'. In India, hunting of blackbuck is prohibited under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.Meanwhile, the acquittal in the Arms Act case on January 18 came as a relief to Salman Khan, but he is a long way from the final closure in all the cases against him. There are three appeals pending at the Supreme court against acquittals; two against the Rajasthan high court acquittal in the chinkara cases, one against the Bombay HC acquittal verdict in the 2002 Mumbai case of culpable homicide.In the Arms Act case, Khan was accused of use of arms on the night of October 1, 1998. Initially his counsel, Shrikant Shivade, sought recall of witnesses which the Rajasthan HC permitted after hearing him in 2015. Later the actor's defence counsel Hastimal Saraswat from Jodhpur and Anand Desai from Mumbai law firm law firm argued during the trial there which resulted in acquittal on January 18, 2017.The state can appeal against the magistrate's order to the sessions court there. If they do challenge and if the sessions court, too, upholds the acquittal, they can appeal to the higher judiciary.