Bollywood star Salman Khan, jailed on Thursday (April 5) for five years for poaching, was granted bail by an Indian court on Saturday (April 7) in a case being followed by tens of millions of fans and a movie industry that banks heavily on his popularity.
The actor was freed from jail on Saturday after completing the necessary formalities, his lawyer Mahesh Bora told reporters.
Khan’s fans set off firecrackers outside his home in Mumbai and outside the court in Jodhpur in the northwestern state of Rajasthan after the actor was granted bail.
Khan, 52, was found guilty of violating Indian wildlife laws by killing a black buck, an endangered species of antelope, in 1998.
The case was brought by members of a community known as the Bishnoi, who revere antelopes. The community had pursued the case against Khan for almost two decades.
The actor may not leave the country without the court’s permission, Mahipal Bishnoi, a lawyer for the Bishnoi community, told reporters.
