Bollywood Superstar Salman Khan Jailed for Five Years

Salman Khan, the famous Bollywood star has been jailed for five years for illegally hunting the two rare antelope from his car window while filming in Jodhpur in 1998.
Correspondents say he will have to spend at least a few days in prison. Khan, who also received a 10,000 rupee (£109) fine, was in court for the ruling and can appeal the conviction in a higher court.
Four other actors who starred with him in the movie and were also charged with the offence have been acquitted.
It is thought he killed two blackbucks before they all fled the scene, leaving the two animals behind, after being spotted and chased. These endangered deers were protected animals under India’s Wildlife Protection Act, in Mathania village near Jodhpur.
In 2006 Khan was convicted for killing the blackbucks and sentenced to five years in jail.
After spending one week in prison, the sentence was suspended by the Rajasthan High Court.
The other actors, among them Saif Ali Khan and Sonali Bendre, were acquitted by the court in Jodhpur for lack of evidence.
India’s wildlife protection act bans the hunting of all but a handful of wild animals without a special permit.
Hundreds of police surrounded the courtroom in Jodhpur to keep back fans of the actor, who is known for his bad-boy image and macho film roles.
Khan was first arrested in the poaching case in October 1998 after reports emerged that he had hunted the two antelopes and at least three other gazelles.
Eight years later, he was convicted of killing the blackbucks and sentenced to five years in prison, a decision he appealed to the Rajasthan high court, which suspended the sentence in August 2007 after the actor had spent two short stints in jail.
The allegations of poaching against the actor were first made by a member of the Bishnoi community in Rajasthan, a sect that considers blackbucks to be a reincarnation of the 600-year-old guru.
>Juthy Saha