Indian court grants bail to Bollywood superstar Salman Khan
Khan’s overjoyed fans danced outside the courtroom and chanted ‘We love you, Salman’.
A court has granted bail to Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, who is appealing against his conviction on charges of poaching rare deer in a wildlife preserve two decades ago.
Khan was sentenced on Thursday to five years in prison on the charges and was immediately sent to jail.
Judge Ravindra Kumar Joshi ordered him to sign a surety bond of 50,000 rupees (£550) on Saturday before he could be set free in Jodhpur, a town in western India.
He is likely to be released from jail later on Saturday.
Khan’s overjoyed fans danced outside the courtroom and chanted “We love you, Salman”.
Khan’s sisters, Alvira and Arpita, were present during the hearing.
His lawyer Mahesh Bora has challenged the conviction and sentence, and Khan will remain on bail pending the outcome of the appeal.
Four other Bollywood stars also accused in the case — Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam — were acquitted by Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri on Thursday.
They were in the jeep that Salman Khan was believed to be driving during the hunt in 1998. Tabu and Neelam both use just one name.
Khan says he did not shoot the two blackbuck deer.
The 52-year-old Khan has starred in more than 90 Hindi-language films. But he has also had a reputation as a Bollywood bad boy, known for his run-ins with the law — including a fatal car accident — and his troubled relationships with women.
