Mumbai - An Indian court jailed
Bollywood star Salman Khan for five years for poaching on
Thursday, lawyers said, a sentence likely to derail the career
of one of the country's most popular actors.
Khan, 52, was found guilty of violating wildlife laws by
killing a blackbuck, an endangered species of antelope, in 1998.
Four other Bollywood actors accused in the case were acquitted.
The stocky Khan wore a black shirt and sunglasses as he
entered the court followed by an entourage of aides. Television
footage later showed police escorting him to jail in Jodhpur, in
the western state of Rajasthan.
Television said Khan planned to appeal against the sentence.
His lawyer, Anand Desai, told Reuters he had submitted a plea
for bail which a judge will hear on Friday.
The case was brought by members of a community known as the
Bishnoi, who revere antelopes. The community has pursued the
case against Khan for almost two decades and cheered the
decision by setting off firecrackers near the courthouse and
handing out sweets.
Four other Bollywood actors accused in the case - Saif Ali
Khan, Neelam, Tabu and Sonali Bendre - were acquitted,
prosecution lawyer Mahipal Bishnoi said.
Some actors came out in Khan's support. "I feel this is too
harsh. I do hope he gets the relief he deserves," Arjun Rampal
said.
Khan has had a history of run-ins with the law.
In 2015, Bombay High Court overturned his conviction in a
hit-and-run case in which he was accused of running over a group
of people sleeping on a city sidewalk, killing one and injuring
four.
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Last year, another court in Jodhpur acquitted Khan in a
separate poaching case, ruling that there was no proof that Khan
had killed an endangered gazelle.
Khan has made a series of blockbuster hits in the last few
years with the latest in December, "Tiger Zinda Hai", grossing
more than 3 billion rupees ($52 million) at the box office.
His next film, "Race 3", is an action thriller scheduled for
release later in the year.
The court's ruling against Khan, who has 32.5 million
followers on Twitter and was promoting his movie last week,
sparked worries among Bollywood traders.
"If he doesn't get bail, then the jail term will have
repercussions," said Girish Johar, a trade analyst. "He is a big
star, and has a lot of big films lined up, all scheduled to be
released over the next two years."