WILL SALMAN GET BAIL OR FACE JAIL?

MUMBAI: Will Salman Khan go to jail on Friday to serve a fiveyear prison term handed down to him for killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run case? Maybe. But, then again, maybe not. The question will be answered when the Bombay High Court hears Khan’s bail plea on Friday as his 48-hour interim bail comes to an end, putting to rest all speculation about the star’s fortunes in the 13-year-old case.

MUMBAI: Will Salman Khan go to jail on Friday to serve a five-year prison term handed down to him for killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run case? Maybe. But, then again, maybe not.

The question will be answered when the Bombay High Court hears Khan’s bail plea on Friday as his 48-hour interim bail comes to an end, putting to rest all speculation about the star’s fortunes in the 13-year-old case.

The 49-year-old Dabangg star was sentenced to five years for culpable homicide not amounting to murder on Wednesday for killing a homeless man with his SUV after a night out drinking at an upmarket bar.

However, he escaped jail after the Bombay High Court granted him interim bail barely hours after his conviction.

It is possible the high court will grant him regular bail while it hears his appeal challenging the conviction and the five-year jail term. But the court may also cancel the interim bail granted to Khan, sometimes described as the enfant terrible of Bollywood.

Generally, an appeal court will grant bail to a convict who has proved he is not a flight risk during the trial. However, in Khan’s case, rejection of bail is also a possibility mainly because the high court has granted him interim bail primarily because the trial court order was not provided to him immediately after the verdict.

If the high court rejects his bail plea, the Bollywood star may urge the high court to at least grant him some time to surrender and in the meanwhile approach the Supreme Court. But if no such time is granted, the actor will have to surrender before the trial court which will take him into custody and send him to a central prison.

SATISH BATE/HT Several political bigwigs and celebrities including MNS chief Raj Thackeray (left) and actor Aamir Khan (right) went to meet Salman at his Mumbai residence on Thursday.