JODHPUR: Bollywood star Salman Khan, sentenced to five years' rigorous imprisonment earlier this week for killing a chinkara nearly eight years ago, was granted bail by the Sessions Court here on Thursday. The 40-year-old actor, who spent three nights in the Central Jail after his conviction, left for his home in Mumbai by a chartered flight in the evening.
The Bollywood heart-throb, clad in jeans and a white sleeveless vest, was received outside the jail by his brother Sohail Khan, sister Alvira and actress friend Katrina Kaif. A large number of fans cheered him as he walked out to freedom.
District and Sessions Judge G.S. Surana granted bail to Salman Khan on furnishing a personal bond of Rs. 2 lakhs and two sureties of Rs. 1 lakh each. The Judge, suspending the sentence handed down by the Chief Judicial Magistrate in the poaching case on Monday, asked the actor to deposit the fine of Rs. 25,000 imposed on him by the trial court.
Salman's lawyers, who cited 38 grounds for challenging the CJM's judgment and praying for an early hearing of the bail application, said the court had convicted him under the Wildlife Protection Act while relying on the evidence of the main witness, Harish Dulani, even after giving him notice for reportedly retracting his original statement. Harish had stated that he had seen the actor killing the protected animal.
The lawyers, Hastimal Saraswat and S.R. Bajwa, took exception in their arguments on the bail plea in the Sessions to the police completing the formalities in the poaching case instead of the Forest Department officials doing the job. They also pleaded that the case was nearly eight-year-old and did not warrant a harsh punishment.
The Judge admitted for hearing the appeal against the trial court's verdict and directed Salman not to leave the country without permission of the court. He fixed the next hearing of the case for June 19.
The actor was not present in the court when the Judge granted him bail. He appeared in the court earlier in the day in connection with his appeal against the one-year jail term awarded to him on February 17 in another case of poaching of black bucks in Bhawad village.
Film actor Govinda and directors David Dhawan and Sajid Nadiadwala were present in the court along with Salman's relatives at the time the bail order was passed. Hundreds of fans, including women, had gathered outside since morning raising slogans in his support. As the news of bail spread, the fans turned jubilant and raised an uproar. Police had a tough time controlling the crowd and had to use mild force to disperse them.
The chartered aircraft in which Salman left for Mumbai had been brought to Jodhpur on Wednesday by his non-resident Indian friend Anoop Paul from the U.S.
