Bollywood Star Found Guilty Of A Fatal Hit And Run

Salman Khan is an Indian film actor and producer. He is cited in the media as one of the most commercially successful actors of Hindi cinema.

An Indian court has sentenced the Bollywood star to five years in jail for killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run driving incident in Mumbai. 

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 have already applied for bail in the Bombay high court which is expected to hear the case shortly, reports say.

On Wednesday morning, as the actor drove to court with his family and friends, fans prayed for the actor's 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.

The 49-year-old actor was also found guilty of negligent driving and causing grievous harm to the victims and given separate terms for each offence, but defence lawyers said all the sentences would run concurrently. 

Within minutes of entering the courtroom, the judge informed Khan that he was guilty.

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.

His family and friends inside the court were hoping that he would get a jail term of three years or less.

But when the judge sentenced him to five years in prison, Khan's expression changed immediately.

And even as his sisters tried to comfort him, the actor looked visibly upset.

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.

Source: bbc.com