Salman Khan sentenced to five years in poaching case  

Bollywood superstar Salman Khan, after being sentenced to five years in jail following his conviction in the 1998 Blackbuck poaching case by a Jodhpur court, has been taken straight to the Jodhpur Central Jail.

"Since the accused is a film star, people follow him and look up to him. And the way he killed innocent deer, and because there is rampant poaching...," said Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri explaining his decision. Calling the actor a habitual offender, Judge Khatri ruled that hence the actor has been convicted, while the others have been given the benefit of the doubt.

While Salman Khan's counsel has moved bail application in the court of Additional Sessions Judge, it will come up for hearing tomorrow morning. Consequently, the The 52-year-old superstar will have to spend the night in jail today.

Salman Khan has been convicted under the Wildlife Protection Act and the rest of the stars including Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam Kothari have been acquitted. Expressing satisfaction over court’s decision, public prosecutor Bhawani Singh said: "We are happy with the judgment. I haven't read the complete order. Salman Khan has been given a five year simple imprisonment and ₹10,000 fine. If he files an appeal and the court considers it, then he can get the bail."

Denying the allegations, Salman Khan’s counsel HM Saraswat said there were several loopholes in the prosecution’s story and it had failed to prove its case beyond any doubt.

Salman Khan is currently lodged in Barrack Number 2 in Jodhpur jail which is next to rape accused godman Asaram Bapu's barrack. Another convict housed in the same prison is Rajsamand killer Shambhulal Regar, who, even after being jailed for murdering a Muslim labourer, was making videos from inside the jail. Other inmates include some hardened terrorists from Kashmir who were recently shifted out from Srinagar jail.

However, Salman has always maintained his innocence over the case. "It's not true. It's all nautanki (mischief). Even now there are 5 out of job people who'll show up on television to debate my case. Some for, some against. It's ridiculous. None of them would have happened if I wasn't a star. None of it,” he told Huffington Post in an interview in June 2017.

In another interview to Deccan Chronicle in the same year, he said: “Tiger Zinda Hai aur zinda rahega. Actually panditji ne bada accha suggestion diya. Tiger ke baad Panther, Panther ke baad lombdi, lombdi ke baad BB. The lesser I speak, the better for me. But I agree that wild animals are gentle; more gentle than human beings.”

Currently, three big movie projects—"Race 3", "Bharat" and "Dabangg 3"—as well as a comeback season of reality TV show "Dus Ka Dum" are riding on Salman's shoulders. Around ₹700 crore is riding on the star, one of the most bankable in Bollywood, according to NDTV.

Meanwhile, several Bollywood personalities and social celebrities have come out in solidarity with the “Dabangg” actor. Speaking out in support of Salman Khan, Jaya Bachchan said, "I feel bad. He should be given relief. He has done a lot of humanitarian work."

"It's a little tragic that it came after 20 years. Instead, he could have been charged a hefty fine," Actor Alok Nath was quoted as saying.

Actor Himani Shivpuri, who played Khan’s aunt in the film, said he was a “nice individual” who was “near and dear” to her. The judiciary’s verdict, however, had to be respected, she said, adding that the blackbuck was an endangered species, sacred to the Bishnoi tribe.

“...I feel if you are killing or shooting an innocent animal (and) it is against the law, then the law has every right to pass a judgement. I am saddened as Salman is a nice individual but if a nice individual commits a mistake then he should be able to bear the consequences,” Shivpuri told PTI.