Bollywood Hunk Convicted of Poaching

[yolland]

OK, so there's probably not too many Bollywood fans around here, but how often do you hear about a movie star being convicted of poaching?

NDTV.com

JODHPUR, Feb 17--Bollywood star Salman Khan was found guilty yesterday by a court of poaching black buck deer in a case dating back to 1998. A sessions court in the north-western state of Rajasthan found the popular actor guilty under the Wildlife Act and sentenced him to one year’s imprisonment and a fine of Rs5,000 ($112).

However, Khan will not be immediately arrested and jailed as the court has given him a month’s time to file an appeal against the judgment in a higher court, the NDTV news channel reported. If he fails to get bail, those most affected would be the directors currently working with him. According to Khan’s secretary Vikas Kapoor, the actor is involved in projects worth Rs1bn.

The court in western Jodhpur city acquitted seven other actors who had been charged in the case. Khan was charged by the Rajasthan Forest Department with poaching two black buck deer in a village near Jodhpur in 1998. The deer, locally known as Chinkara, is an endangered species and is protected by law.

Hundreds of his fans had gathered in the court complex. When the star arrived at the court, they greeted him with cries of "Salman zindabad!" (Long live Salman). Fans condemned the verdict.

The Bollywood beefcake has never been far away from controversies and brushes with the law. On Sept 28, 2002, Salman was charged with killing a man and injuring four others in an incident of rash driving in Mumbai. The accident triggered off a storm of protests against him. Earlier, Salman made it to the headlines for all the wrong reasons - roughing up scribes, manhandling his ex-girlfriend Aishwarya Rai, tiffs with Shah Rukh Khan and Abhishek Bachchan on the sets of films and a verbal assault on Vivek Oberoi.

Fortunately or unfortunately, his acts of misdemeanour have not marred his popularity and Salman continues to have a huge fan following - not too surprising, as most celebrities involved in legal battles have come out unscathed in terms of their popularity.

 

[nbcrusader]

I thought he was cooking an egg.....



/snicker

 

[Carek1230]

I was thinking the same thing!

Mmmm actually, a poached egg and some
sourdough toast sounds really good right now.
Maybe with some olives!

 

[Zoots]

Haha! He finally got sentenced, huh? The bastard! Can't believe it took them this long to figure it all out! I've heard that he treats his women badly too!

 

[greeneyedgirl]

I originally read this as "punching" a deer.

 

[Carek1230]

Does he poach his women too?