Salman Khan: Bollywood star sentenced to five years in jail for homeless man hit-and-run
Actor was found guilty by Mumbai court on Wednesday
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Bollywood star Salman Khan has been sentenced to five years in prison for killing a homeless man in a hit-and-run in Mumbai.
Khan was charged with culpable homicide over the 2002 incident, where five homeless people including the victim were run over. Three were also seriously injured.
Prosecutors accused Khan of slamming into the homeless people after losing control of his Toyota Land Cruiser following an evening spent drinking at an upmarket bar.
The actor claimed his driver had been driving at the time but a judge in the Mumbai court on Wednesday ruled Khan was behind the wheel and had been drinking before the crash.
His driver testified in court last month that he had been behind the wheel and crashed the vehicle because a tyre had burst, AFP reports.
However, a constable attached to his security team contradicted this version of events and said Khan was intoxicated and lost control of the car.
Khan also faces charges of negligent driving and causing grievous harm to the victims. Culpable homicide carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The 49-year-old can appeal the decision, meaning the case could drag on for years.
Khan has appeared in more than 80 Hindi-language films during his 27-year career. The Associated Press reports that he also has several films in the pipelines and projects worth an estimated 2.5 billion rupees (£26 million).
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments