An Indian court sentenced Bollywood star Salman Khan to five years in prison yesterday for killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run driving incident in Mumbai.
The man was among five people who were run over in the incident. The actor was charged with culpable homicide.
Khan had said his driver was behind the wheel, but the judge said the actor was driving the car and was under the influence of alcohol at the time.
Khan’s lawyers filed for an appeal against his sentence at the Bombay High Court on the same day, following which the court granted the actor an interim bail for two days. The appeal will be heard on Friday.
Correspondents say the guilty verdict is a huge setback for Khan although he could have been jailed for 10 years.
The actor is one of Bollywood’s biggest stars, appearing in more than 80 Hindi-language films. Several of his films, including “Dabangg,” “Ready,” “Bodyguard,” “Ek Tha Tiger,” “Maine Pyar Kiya” and “Hum Aap Ke Hain Kaun,” have been huge commercial hits.
As the actor drove to court with his family and friends yesterday morning, his fans prayed for his acquittal.
But Judge DW Deshpande found him guilty on the charge of culpable homicide.
“You were driving the car; you were under the influence of alcohol,” he told the actor as soon as the court proceedings began.
After that, for the next three hours as the lawyers from both the sides presented their arguments over his punishment, Khan, who was dressed in a white shirt, remained calm and composed.
The 49-year-old actor was also found guilty of negligent driving and causing grievous harm to the victims, but defence lawyers said all the sentences would run concurrently.
Several of his Bollywood colleagues spoke out in his support and expressed their sympathies.
