JODHPUR: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan was sentenced five years to jail Thursday for killing two endangered black bucks in 1998 during the shooting of Hum Saath Saath Hain. While the other actors present in the vehicle, which Khan was driving, namely Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelum were acquitted, Salman was immediately taken to Jodhpur Central Jail after the verdict and sentence was announced.
Now Prisoner 106, Khan will have to spend at least another night in jail as he fights a five-year prison term for killing the endangered wildlife.
Khan’s lawyer asked for bail but the plea was adjourned after a judge said he wanted to see the entire case record.
“We argued for bail in the court. Basically, the eyewitness is not reliable … the trial court has convicted Salman on the basis of basically just one eyewitness,” Mahesh Bora, a lawyer for Khan, told reporters in Jodhpur, in the northwestern state of Rajasthan.
The court is to sit again on Saturday.
The 52-year-old action star has denied killing the blackbucks.
His conviction shocked fans and the Bollywood elite.
Hundreds flocked to his home in Mumbai to show solidarity with the star who moved from his luxury apartment to sleeping on the floor of a cell in the Jodhpur Central Jail. Security around his apartment was beefed up as fans flocked to the building. Salman’s sisters were already in Jodhpur with him for the hearing, but his brothers, actors Arbaaz Khan and Sohail Khan flew to the city Friday morning.
“Everyone knows that he is used to the lavish lifestyle, which is why he was unable to sleep,” a local newspaper said, quoting an unnamed jail official.
“He laid down on blankets spread on the floor. He hardly slept. At 6:00 am in the morning, the sound of siren woke him up.”
Jail Superintendent Vikram Singh said no special arrangements have been made for Khan who was served a dinner of lentils and cabbage like other inmates on his first night.
Singh told reporters on Thursday evening that the actor was given four blankets to sleep on the floor in his barrack that has two ceiling fans. Singh said Khan inquired about the toilet in his barrack and also wanted to know if there was a geyser.
“I remembered the last time he was in Jodhpur jail in August 2006, he had promised to improve the toilets here,” Singh added.
Khan has accused Rajasthan’s forest department of trying to frame him.
His lawyers claim the black bucks died of natural causes such as overeating, claiming there was no evidence the animals were shot.
Four other Bollywood stars, Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam Kothari, who were also accused in the case were acquitted for lack of evidence.
“The prosecution has proved beyond doubt the case of hunting two blackbucks against Salman but the case against the other accused does not prove beyond doubt,” the trial court judge said in his judgement.
Film industry analysts say Khan has nearly $90 million riding on him with at least three big projects in the pipeline.
The case, which has dogged Khan for 20 years, has seen him held in custody three times before.
In 1998, Khan spent a week in prison after being accused of using unlicensed arms to shoot the blackbucks.
Khan was also found guilty of killing gazelles on the same trip and served very brief stints in jail in 2006 and 2007 but was later acquitted on appeal.
The actor affectionately called “bhai“, or “brother” in Hindi, enjoys a cult-like status with the majority of his devotees young men who envy Khan’s glamorous lifestyle.
The latest verdict has triggered a wave of sympathy for the “bad boy” of Hindi cinema whose life has been dogged by controversies.
Khan, who has had a string of glamorous relationships but never married, was cleared in 2015 of killing a homeless man in a hit-and-run accident. That decision is now being challenged in the Supreme Court.
He was also accused of assaulting a former Miss World.
“Tough times don’t last, tough people do, waiting for tiger to be back,” tweeted actor Maniesh Paul, referring to Khan’s most recent blockbuster “Tiger Zinda Hai” (Tiger is Alive) which has earned more than $85 million worldwide.
Other Bollywood figures have also rallied around the actor, voicing support and decrying the harsh sentence.
“I am extremely shocked,” Subhash Ghai, who has worked with Khan in several films, tweeted. The director said he had “full trust in the Indian judiciary which has many other doors” for an “appeal for final justice”.
Actor-Parliamentarian Jaya Bachchan said the punishment was harsh and added that Khan had done “a lot of humanitarian work”.
“I feel bad. He should be given relief. He has done a lot of humanitarian work,” she told reporters outside Parliament.
Actor Arjun Rampal tweeted to say the decision seemed a bit “too harsh”.
“The law takes its course. Can’t argue (with) it. But at this point in time, I just feel helpless and my heart goes out to Salman Khan and his family. Reason, cause the last thing Salman Khan is, is a criminal.I feel this is too harsh. I do hope he gets the relief he deserves,” the actor said.
The law takes its course. Can’t argue it. But at this point in time I just feel helpless and my heart goes out to @BeingSalmanKhan and his family. Reason, cause the last thing @BeingSalmanKhan is, is a criminal.I feel this is too harsh. I do hope he gets the relief he deserves.
— arjun rampal (@rampalarjun) April 5, 2018
Actor Varun Dhawan also tweeted his support saying, “I know for a fact that Salman bhai and his family have the utmost respect and faith in our judiciary system. Salman Khan is one of the strongest and most genuine people I know and I’m sure he will come out of this stronger.”
I know for a fact that Salman bhai and his family have the utmost respect and faith in our judiciary system. @BeingSalmanKhan is one of the strongest and most genuine people I know and I’m sure he will come out of this stronger.
— Varun DAN Dhawan (@Varun_dvn) April 5, 2018