Mumbai: A Mumbai sessions court pronounced five years imprisonment to Bollywood mega star Salman Khan on Wednesday. Salman is found guilty by the court in killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run crash after a night out drinking.
The sessions court judge DW Deshpande said that all the charges against the film actor including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, had been proved.
The judge said 49-year-old Khan was driving the car at the time of the accident and the defence’s contention that his driver Ashok Singh was at the wheel was not probable.
The Bollywood heartthrob, who was wearing a white shirt and blue jeans, broke down on hearing the verdict and was in tears. Khan’s family members too were upset and his two sisters also broke down in the courtroom. His politician friend Baba Siddique and brother Sohail khan were too upset and left the court early.
The judge then heard arguments on the quantum of sentence and Khan’s lawyer sought a lesser sentence in view of his humanitarian work. He said the actor had paid Rs 19 lakh as compensation to the victims and would do more if ordered.
Being Human team also produced their balance sheet in the court that marked 42 crore rupees in charity from Salman through the organization.
The prosecution sought the maximum punishment for the actor while as Khan himself and his lawyers pleaded with the judge for a lesser sentence.