Mumbai:
Actor Salman Khan will be tried for culpable homicide not amounting to murder for a 2002 hit-and-run case, a court in Mumbai ruled today. If convicted, he could face ten years in jail.
In 2002, Mr Khan's SUV had rammed into a bakery in suburban Mumbai killing one and injuring four persons asleep on the pavement outside. The trial in the case started in 2005.
He was being tried for rash and negligent driving, which carries a maximum sentence of two years. But on Thursday, the court handling his case accepted that the police has provided evidence that merits trying the actor for culpable homicide. The case now moves to a sessions court for trial.
Mr Khan has been ordered to appear on March 11 where the new, more serious charges will be formally presented to him.
This year, Mr Khan starred in
Dabangg 2, a super-hit film produced by his family, which earned over 200 crores worldwide.