Popular Bollywood star Salman Khan sentenced to five years in jail for 2002 hit-and-run

Popular Bollywood star Salman Khan was sentenced to five years in prison today for killing a homeless man in a hit-and-run in Mumbai in 2002. His car hit 5 homeless people, killing one and injuring 3 of them. Prosecutors said he was high on alcohol at the time of the crash and had just left a bar.

His driver claims in court last month that he had been the one behind the wheels and that the accident occurred after a tyre burst but a judge in Mumbai court today ruled that Salman was the one driving and not his driver after someone in his security team contradicted his driver's claims. Khan was sentenced to five years in prison and was immediately taken into custody.


His family on hearing the verdict immediately went to a Mumbai high court to seek bail. Salman's lawyers stated that they plan to appeal the sentence. Meaning that the case will be in court for years.
 
The prosecution is now set to move a perjury application against Salman Khan's driver for giving false testimony in court.
Salman Khan had left the shooting of a movie midway to attend the court hearing. The movie will have to be put on hold since he's in custody. The 49year old actor who has featured in over 80 Indian movies is said to be worth about $40million.