Salman not so Lucky, judge upholds sentence

Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who gave this year film industry its first box-office hit Partner, got a jolt today with the district and sessions Judge of Jodhpur upholding the prison sentence for the 1998 poaching case.

Khan, who faces a five-year imprisonment, has over Rs 100 crore riding on him. His two to three movies are on the floor and the producers of these are thus to lose heavily. The actor has signed around 10 films but has not started work on any of them. According to industry sources, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya has been completed.

This is the second instance of an actor being sentenced by the Indian judiciary within a month. In early August, Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt was awarded a six-year jail term in the 1993 serial blasts case by a special court led by Judge P D Kode. However, he is now out on bail.

While Dutt's arrest caused a loss of around Rs 25 crore to the industry, Khan's is believed to be much higher. But the exact details are not available.

Khan, 41, was not present in the packed courtroom when the verdict was pronounced by the District and Sessions Judge Kamal Raj Singhvi. Khan was convicted on April 10 last year for poaching of two blackbucks at Ujiyala Bhakhar near Ghoda Farm on September 28, 1998 during the shooting of Sooraj Barjatiya's film Hum Saath Saath Hain.

Khan is also facing charges of killing a person sleeping on a pavement in Mumbai while driving under the influence the alcohol in 2002. He has denied being at the wheel.