Bollywood star Salman Khan sentenced for deadly hit-and-run

One of India's most popular movie stars, Salman Khan, was sentenced to five years in prison Wednesday on charges of driving a vehicle over five men sleeping on a sidewalk and killing one in a hit-and-run case that has dragged for more than 12 years.

Judge D. W. Deshpande of the Mumbai Sessions court found Khan guilty earlier Wednesday of culpable homicide.

The 49-year-old actor was also given separate terms for negligent driving and causing grievous harm to the victims, but all the sentences will run concurrently, defense lawyers said.

Khan is one of Bollywood's most popular stars, appearing in more than 90 Hindi-language films in his 27-year career.

His lawyers filed an appeal for bail in the Mumbai High Court, lawyer Srikant Shivade said. It granted Khan two days of temporary bail until it hears his formal bail plea on Friday.

If bail is approved, Khan will not have to go to prison while he appeals Wednesday's verdict.

Most Indian prisons are overcrowded and have poor sanitation and health care. However, a high-profile prisoner such as Khan is unlikely to be kept with hardened criminals and would probably be accommodated with white-collar offenders.

The prosecution told the court that Khan was drunk when he rammed his SUV into a group of homeless people sleeping on a sidewalk in September 2002.

Khan, instantly recognizable by his muscular build, denied being behind the wheel, contradicting the testimony of several witnesses. In April, his driver, Ashok Singh, told the court that he was driving and lost control of the SUV when one of its tires burst. Judge Deshpande, however, dismissed the actor's claim and accused him of driving the car under the influence of alcohol and then fleeing.

"Finally, justice has been done," senior lawyer Abha Singh, a petitioner in the case, told Reuters. "The law has been upheld." The decision dispelled the notion that India is a country where people with money and power can commit murder and get away with it, Singh added.

Khan also faces trial in a separate case for allegedly killing two rare deer in a western India wildlife preserve 16 years ago.

Huge crowds gathered outside Khan's house in south Mumbai on Wednesday for a glimpse of the star as he emerged from his apartment building surrounded by security guards.

Scores of television crews and reporters followed the actor's car and thronged the court building as the judges gave their verdict in a case that has been closely watched by millions of Khan's fans in India and abroad.

Television channels said Khan looked downcast during the court proceedings and teared up when the judge pronounced the verdict.

Khan's brothers, Arbaaz and Sohail, were present in the courtroom, which was packed with other relatives and Khan's friends from the film industry. 

Some fans and Bollywood celebrities came out in support of Khan, with one playback singer stoking controversy with his tweets. 

"Roads footpath r not meant 4 sleeping, not driver's or alcohol's fault,' Abhijeet Bhattacharya tweeted, later apologizing for the "words I used in my tweets." 

Wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, Khan sweated heavily when the verdict was delivered amid a power cut at the criminal court. No emotion was evident on the face of Khan, one of Bollywood's most bankable stars in a country where movie and cricket stars are hero-worshipped. 

Bollywood filmmakers were worried about the court case because Khan has several films in the pipeline. Film industry analysts said Khan had projects worth $40 million depending on him.

It could take years more for Khan's case to wind its way through India's overburdened legal system, which is plagued by a shortfall of judges, corruption, police delays and excruciating layers of paperwork. 

Wire services