Bollywood superstar Salman Khan receives five-year jail term for poaching rare antelopes
Hundreds of police were deployed outside the courtroom in Jodhpur to keep back fans who massed to support the actor best known for his macho roles
An Indian court on Thursday jailed Bollywood superstar Salman Khan for five years for killing endangered animals on a hunting trip.
Prosecution lawyer Mahipal Bishnoi told reporters outside the court in the Rajasthan city of Jodhpur: “The court has given a five-year jail term and fined Salman Khan 10,000 rupees (US$150).”
The lawyer said an arrest warrant was being prepared for the 52-year-old actor who would be sent to Jodhpur central jail. Khan, who pleaded not guilty, can still appeal.
Khan, one of the Indian movie industry’s most bankable stars, was convicted by a court in Rajasthan state of poaching the rare antelopes known as black bucks in 1998.
Hundreds of police were deployed outside the courtroom in Jodhpur to keep back fans who massed to support the body-building actor best known for his macho roles.
Khan, wearing black sunglasses and a figure-hugging black shirt, walked briskly from a white SUV to the courthouse flanked by security.