A court on Friday granted bail to Salman Khan, one of India’s biggest movie stars, after being convicted two days earlier, (click here if you missed it), in the 2002 drunk-driving hit-and-run case.
Reports stated that it cost him less than $500 to walk away from jail in a country that is one of the world’s most prolific movie industry, where Khan stood apart as an action hero whose earnings of $40 million last year put him at the top of Forbes India’s list of the nation’s richest celebrities, LA Times reports.
According to the report, Khan’s case has shown the power of money and celebrity status in the country, where the rich and famous are seen to get a better deal than the masses. Even though Khan’s homicide case dragged on for over a decade, it took only two days for the appellate court to grant his bail application.
In contrast, the Times of India revealed that two-thirds of the 381,000 prisoners in Indian jails are awaiting trials and have not been convicted. Many are so poor that they cannot even afford to post bail, the newspaper said.
The bail amount posted by Khan, is reportedly a year’s salary for many Indians, but represents about six minutes of work for Khan, 49. The Times of India newspaper dubbed it “Salman Khan’s biggest Friday release.”
Under the terms set by the court, Salman Khan will be allowed to continue shooting movies and travel outside the country with the court’s permission.
