Bollywood star Salman Khan acquited
July 25, 2016
The Bollywood star was acquitted on Monday of killing three endangered animals in cases dating back to 1998.
Khan had earlier been convicted of the crime after the Bishnoi community, a Hindu group that considers wildlife sacred, brought the cases against him in Rajasthan, in northwestern India. He was accused of shooting and killing a gazelle and two antelopes in separate incidents.
Khan was sentenced to one and five years in 2006 and 2007, respectively, but only spent a few days in jail in April 2006 and August 2007 after paying bail.
The court in Rajasthan overturned the verdict on Monday, saying there was no evidence suggesting the pellets found in the animals' bodies came from Khan's gun.
Magnet for controversy
In October, Khan was acquitted of running over and killing five homeless people with his SUV in 2002 after the prosecution "failed to establish beyond reasonable doubt" that he was behind the wheel.
Earlier, the actor had been sentenced to five years in prison by a lower court after judges accepted a testimony by his former bodyguard, who said Khan had been driving.
Last month, Khan ran into trouble again when he said a grueling training session had left him feeling "like a raped woman." Activists blasted him for the comments.
blc/kms (dpa, AP)