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Salman Khan gets bail
Indo-Asian News Service
 
Jodhpur, April 13 (IANS) Bollywood actor Salman Khan got bail Thursday after spending two nights in a jail here on charges of killing a chinkara, a protected species of gazelle.
      

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The chief judicial magistrate's court in this Rajasthan town had sentenced Khan to five years' rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs.25,000 on him for poaching a chinkara at the Ghoda farm near Jodhpur on the night of Sep 28, 1998.
 

Salman bhai will survive, says Sohail
By Subhash K. Jha, Indo-Asian News Service

Mumbai, April 13 (IANS) Sohail Khan hasn't slept much in the last two or three days. His star-brother Salman Khan has been sentenced to five years' jail for killing a chinkara deer and it looks like serious trouble.

Sohail, who has been in consultation with lawyers, told IANS: "They are competent and they know what they are doing. But they are helpless. With due respect to the law, our lawyers think the five-year sentence is unjust. Our lawyers don't know what's happening.

"He is all right... He is in good health and yes he is eating. It's my mom we are worried about. After she heard the sentence she couldn't take it. She can't bear the thought that Salman bhai is helpless in jail."

The entire Khan clan is under tremendous pressure. 

"It's really sad. But because of who my brother is, they want to make an example out of him. Why such a harsh punishment for him? Do they want to set a precedent? Till date no one has been granted such a punishment for similar incidents..."

Sohail's voice gets edgy. "My brother even went to jail for an accident case. An accident cannot be considered a crime."

There's an anguished silence. "I know he doesn't speak up in the press. But that's the way he is. He doesn't open up to anybody. Does that give anyone the right to hunt him down for offences that are not granted such severe sentences in other cases? 

"Right now it's become like a power game. 'Let's hunt this boy down. Let's bring him down to his knees.' Please, let my brother be! He's suffered enough. And we are suffering with him."

He pauses to reflect. "What do they want? Do they really want Salman bhai to go to jail for five years? Will that make them happy? From what we see, it seems some people are working towards putting him in. 

"If, god forbid, tomorrow he's locked away, they'll say it's a very harsh punishment because producers and films are suffering. But what about us, what about Salman bhai? Does anyone know what we are going through? I'd request some amount of restrain.

"When people say, treat Salman like any ordinary citizen, we say, please do because right now he is being treated much worse than any ordinary citizen. Why is he being made into an example? 

"And if he's being made into an example, is everyone in a blackbuck case going to go to prison and is everyone involved in a road accident going to go to jail? It's fine... you have put Salman bhai behind bars. Send others too."

Sohail will remain in Jodhpur until further developments. 

"I am here with my sister. I'm all right. Tomorrow is another day. Salman bhai will survive."

Salman granted bail, gets ready to go home (LEAD)
Indo-Asian News Service

Jodhpur, April 13 (IANS) Bollywood star Salman Khan was free to go home Thursday after a court here granted him bail, ending his three-night jail spell for killing a chinkara, a protected species of gazelle.

In the district and sessions court, which put in suspension the five-year sentence of the lower court, were Salman's friends and family. Directors David Dhawan and Sajid Nadiadwala, actor Govinda, brother Sohail and sister Alvira were present in court. His girlfriend Katrina Kaif was also present in the morning. 

"The district and sessions court granted bail to Salman on a personal bond of Rs.200,000 and two personal sureties of Rs.100,000 each," the actor's counsel Hastimal Saraswat told IANS. 

The actor is expected to fly back to Mumbai later Thursday, maybe on the chartered flight of NRI friend Anoop Paul, who had come to see him Wednesday, friends close to the actor said. 

His counsel had cited 38 reasons for an early hearing of the bail application, including his mother's sickness.

Salman was first asked to deposit the fine amount of Rs.25,000 and then granted bail.

The bail application had been filed in the district and sessions court here Wednesday. 

The chief judicial magistrate had Monday sentenced Khan to five years "rigorous" imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs.25,000 in connection with the poaching of the endangered chinkara in the Ghoda farm near here in September 1998.

Salman, who faces four cases in Jodhpur, was earlier sentenced to one-year imprisonment by the same court Feb 17 for killing of two chinkaras in the same year when he was shooting for the film "Hum Saath Saath Hain". The other cases relate to the poaching of blackbucks and one under the Arms Act.