Soha Ali Khan found guilty

Originally uploaded by Wahee.Haq

Actress Soha Ali Khan was on Thursday held guilty of suppressing facts while seeking renewal of her gun license, and also of allowing misuse of her weapon by her father, former cricketer Mansur Ali Khan Pataudi, allegedly in killing a blackbuck.

District Magistrate Rakesh Gupta cancelled her gun license under section 17 of the Arms Act and ordered a further inquiry into the case.

“Soha can file appeal against this order in the divisional commissioner's court within 30 days. The Jhajjar police would also be informed about the decision, with the request not to release Soha's rifle to her,” Gupta said in his judgement.

The rifle, which was allegedly misused by Pataudi in the blackbuck poaching, is at present in the custody of the Jhajjar police.

Gupta said Soha was issued the arms license in November 1996 when she was below the legal age to acquire it. The responsibility could not be fixed because the original file on the issuance of her gun licence is missing.

Replying to a question, Gupta said had the Jhajjar police informed the Gurgaon administration about the seizure of Soha's rifle in the poaching case, the administration would not have renewed her license.

“We would inform the home department about this lapse on the part of the Jhajjar police. But it was the duty of the actress to inform the district administration that her rifle was in police custody at the time of the renewal. The actress knowingly suppressed this fact, hence she is guilty,” the district magistrate added.

The actress has been charged with obtaining an arms license for her .22 bore rifle Nov 5, 1996, when she had not completed 21 years of age—a legal pre-requisite.

The passport record of Soha, daughter of Pataudi and actress Sharmila Tagore, put her year of birth at 1978, which meant in 1996 she was 18.

The Gurgaon district authorities also sent her a notice demanding an explanation about how the weapon for which she was licensed was used by her father to kill a blackbuck in Haryana's Jhajjar district in 2005. Pataudi was arrested for poaching the protected species animal, and the carcass was seized.

The poaching case, registered June 5, 2005, is being tried in a wildlife and environment court in Faridabad town in Haryana.

Source: sify.com