An Indian court sentenced Bollywood film star Salman Khan on Wednesday to five years in prison for killing a man in a hit-and-run accident, the latest twist in the tumultuous career of one of the country's biggest box-office draws.
The district criminal court's order drove down shares of firms connected to the actor and, if upheld, will derail major projects in the pipeline of what is the world's most prolific movie industry.
Judge D.W. Deshpande of the Mumbai court upheld prosecution charges that Khan, 49, was driving under the influence of alcohol and lost control of his car in the 2002 accident. Four people were injured.
The 49-year-old actor had denied being behind the wheel, in spite of several witnesses testifying against him.
Khan, who has delivered some of Bollywood's highest-grossing films in recent years, faces up to 10 years in jail but can appeal in a higher court.
Sentencing is expected later in the day.
The Salman Khan case is trending on twitter with people divided on the verdict.
Many Salman to social media defend him with hashtags like #Istandwithsalmankhan and #salmonkhannotguilty trending.
Shame Indian judgement system! we all love you till our death @BeingSalmanKhan #SalmanKhan #SalmanNotGuilty
But others have defended the verdict
Reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar; Writing by Krishna N. Das; Editing by Nick Macfie)
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