By Mubasshir Mushtaq
MUMBAI, India
One of India's most famous actors has been sentenced to five years in prison for a drunk driving incident that killed one person and injured four others.
Bollywood actor Salman Khan broke down in a court in the city of Mumbai when he was sentenced on Wednesday, almost 13 years after the incident.
“You were driving the car without a license and you were under the influence of alcohol,” Judge DW Deshpande told Khan in front of a crowded courtroom, as the actor stood quietly in the witness box.
Judge Deshpande ruled that Khan was drunk during the accident and was guilty of all eight charges, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder, rash and negligent driving and causing hurt by endangering life.
In September 2002, Khan lost control of his vehicle and drove over men sleeping on a pavement, killing one of them.
Khan will be immediately taken to Mumbai’s Arthur Road jail but may appeal against his sentence at the Mumbai High Court.
Khan had pleaded not guilty and in March his driver came forward, for the first time in 13 years, to claim that he had been driving the car, not Khan.
Khan's lawyers had pleaded for a lenient term of less than three years, claiming anything more severe would hinder the actor's charity work and arguing that he suffers from a stress-related health condition.
Khan has featured in more than 100 Bollywood films and has millions of fans in India and abroad, making him one of the world's most famous actors.
Posts about his verdict became the most popular topic globally on social media website Twitter after the court announced his sentence.
