You’d think that that for someone as famous as Salman Khan who was listed as the ninth world’s highest paid actor in 2017, the corrupt and unjust law enforcement system in India would have extended him some kind of special treatment, but nope.. He is now being jailed for five years, for killing rare antelopes in 1998 no less.
The Bollywood superstar has since been taken to jail and was also fined 10,000 rupees for the crime, as sentenced by the court in Jodhpur. While shooting a film in Rajasthan, Khan killed two blackbucks, a protected species. Four other actors who starred alongside him in the film have also been charged.
The 52-year-old actor will be allowed to appeal against the verdict in a higher court, but he will have to spend at least a few days in prison, according to correspondents. The film in question, Hum Saath Saath Hain, hit Bollywood blockbuster, depicts a story about a family of five, including three sons, one of which is played by Khan.
This isn’t the first time the live-on-the-edge actor had been entangled in legal disputes. Khan, who boasts 36 million fans on Facebook and 32.5 million followers on Twitter, was first convicted for the poaching case in 2006. The Rajasthan high court suspended the sentences later before the state government appealed against the order in the Supreme Court.
In 2015, he was cleared off a 2002 hit-and-run case for killing a homeless man and injuring four others. He was convicted in May 2015, but argued that his driver was behind the wheel although it was him driving while intoxicated. In January 2017, he was again acquitted in another case that charged him for the illegal firearms used to kill the blackbucks.
Throughout his successful career, Khan, who is the eldest son of screenplay writer Salim Khan, has starred in over 100 films and is known for his romantic roles as well as action roles. Needless to say, he has won more than few prestigious Indian cinema awards and has amassed a massive following.
