Jodhpur April 5 (TNS): Bollywood superstar Salman Khan was taken into custody by the police after a local court in Jodhpur sentenced him to five years in jail for killing endangered black bucks in 1998.
The actor, who is also known as bad boy of Indian cinema, is still on the premises of the court as he has been surrounded by police officials and his fans, while the actor is consulting his lawyers to seek a bail from superior courts. The superstar also wept after the verdict was announced against him.
If the actor is denied the bail, he will spend his first night in a jail in Jodhpur.
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.
Four other Bollywood stars — Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam Kothari — were also accused of joining the hunting trip but were acquitted for lack of evidence.
“Salman Khan has been convicted under the wildlife protection act and the rest of the stars have been acquitted,” prosecutor Mahipal Bishnoi told reporters.
Khan, whose legion of fans emulate his distinct hairstyle and fashion, has accused the state’s forest department of framing him over the black buck case.
His defence lawyers had suggested the black buck died of natural causes such as overeating and claimed there was no evidence they had been shot.
The 52-year-old has been dogged by multiple charges since undertaking the infamous hunting safari in protected forest land while shooting a film in Rajasthan.
The Bishnois, a Rajasthani tribe seen as custodians of the region’s wildlife, filed a complaint against the actors.
Khan was found guilty of killing gazelles on the hunting trip and served a very brief stint in jail but was freed on appeal in 2016.
Last year he was also cleared by a court over the alleged use of unlicensed firearms on the expedition. A higher court is challenging his acquittal.
Controversy has followed the Bollywood bad boy since he burst onto the silver screen in the 1980s.
