Bollywood star Salman Khan, after long overdue of the ‘1998 black buck killing’ case was sentenced 5 year imprisonment by Jodhpur court on Monday (10 April, 2006). The fact that he has already spent ‘one night out of two in Jail’ has came as a great shock to Bollywood and celebrities, who are considering court judgment ‘too harsh’ for the actor.

Khan who is famous for coming out of court proceedings unharmed was actually pinned down this time due to public holiday following the judgment because of which his lawyers got no chance to move for bail or appeal.

According to sources “even though the police knew about it and had an arrest warrant ready, Salman didn’t get a hint of it”. Yesterday the actor came out of the court muttering “This is a wrong decision”. Khan’s mother Salma Khan after listening the news fell faint yesterday complaining of chest pain. She was soon admitted to Mumbai’s Leelawati Hospital.

Bollywood reaction

Bollywood is in a state of shock as Rs 150 crore of money is riding on Salman across five big-budget productions (Salaam-e-Ishq, Baabul, Partner, God Tussi Great Ho, Jaaneman). The actor’s producers are now saying their prayers and many celebrities are giving their grievances against the judgment. Filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt said the court’s decision was way too harsh for the crime committed.

Actress Priety Zinta: “Even if one accepts the judgment on Salman, one wonders why the accused were let off in Jassica Lall case”.

Salman’s girlfriend, Katrina Kaif was left shaken while doing a publicity interviews for her forthcoming ‘Hum Deewane Kar Gaye’ when she got an SMS about Salman. She continued the media interaction on condition of ‘No personal questions.’

Sunil Manchanda, producer of ‘Tere Naam’ and ‘Salaam-E-Ishq’: “Hopefully he gets justice in the higher court. He should be able to get out and continue the schedule. More than the fate of the film, I am worried as a friend. I am hopeful he will get a stay from the court.”

Ravi Chopra, director of ‘Baabul’: “He is too nice a guy to be treated like a criminal. He is just paying for being a celebrity, which is very un-fair.

Rumi Jaffrey, producer of ‘God Tussi Great Ho’ “It’s not the end for Salman. He can appeal to a higher court. I stand by him because he’s a great friend.”

Sunil Shetty, actor: “Its really unfair. From the recent cases it does look like celebrities are being targeted.”

Vivek Oberoi, actor: “Right now, the most important thing in my life is my film pyaare Mohan and nothing else”.

Tuesday 11 April 2006 (After a night in jail)

Salman has a huge fan following and over 100 of his fans stood before the central jail today to catch a glimpse of the actor who spent a night behind bars Monday night.

“Salman is being treated like an ordinary prisoner and has been lodged in a simple cell like any other inmate. He is being provided with same facilities as any normal convict,” a jail official said.

The only concession Khan received was a cell to himself to guarantee his safety. That’s something in Indian jails, which are notoriously overcrowded with very basic amenities.

Other accused in the case

Beside Salman the court ordered one year rigorous imprisonment and Rs 5000 fine for co-accused Govardhan Singh for skinning the animal and later cooking it for the star. However the other seven accused, including comedian Satish Shah, Saif Ali Khan, Neelam, Tabu and Sonali Bendre have been acquitted in this case.

A third case has Khan facing a charge of killing two black bucks near Kankani on October 1, 1998. He is not alone in that case. Facing similar charges are Saif Ali Khan, Neelam and Sonali Bendre.