Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has been sentenced to serve five years in prison after being convicted of illegal poaching in a decades-old case, prosecutors said. Bhawani Singh, a public prosecutor working on the case, told reporters outside the court that Khan can appeal the decision to a higher court. If Khan’s appeal is accepted, he could be granted bail or have his sentence suspended. Khan, one of India’s most recognizable and bankable actors, was found guilty of killing two indian antelopes, while working on a film in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan in 1998. He was also fined 10,000 Indian rupees ($150).
Prosecutors alleged the 52-year-old shot the two blackbucks while out driving with some of his co-stars. Khan pleaded not guilty and has long maintained his innocence as the case has languished in legal limbo over the years. Khan’s lawyers said he was carrying an air gun, which cannot be used for hunting an antelope. Khan has long been known as one of Bollywood’s bad boys and has been in trouble with the law before. In 2015 he was found guilty in a deadly hit and run accident and received a five-year prison sentence. A higher court later tossed the conviction, claiming the evidence presented was not sufficient.
Today he’s considered one of India’s biggest celebrities — to the point where he’s often mobbed whenever seen in public — and despite his brushes with the law, is still one of Bollywood’s biggest draws. I am a huge fan of Salman Khan myself and think that it was not fair to put him behind bars even if he killed two animals. Human rights are greater than animal rights. It does not make sense that a man who raped a woman got less of a sentence than him. I agree Salman has killed a man before accidentally, but to be honest, the victim’s family is living a much better life than they were before the accident.
Parbinder Bains said,” It doesn’t make sense that they are punishing him for a crime he did 20 years ago. It’s all for the sake of money to be honest.”
Tanvia Sultana added saying that, “At first I thought it was a joke, but then after seeing him get handcuffed on T.V., I was shook. He doesn’t deserve it.”
Fans of Salman Khan refuse to stop loving him and are choosing to ignore this raised issue.