An Indian court sentenced Bollywood star Salman Khan for five years of rigorous imprisonment for killing a homeless man in a 2002 hit-and-run driving incident in Mumbai.

The man was among five people who were run over in the incident. The actor was charged with culpable homicide.

Khan had said his driver was behind the wheel, but the judge said the actor was driving the car and was under the influence of alcohol at the time.

His sentence is still to be announced. Khan faces up to 10 years in jail.

Legal experts say the actor is bound to appeal against the verdict and the case is likely to go on for many more years.

But correspondents say Wednesday's guilty verdict is a huge setback for Khan who is one of Bollywood's biggest stars, appearing in more than 80 Hindi-language films.

Driver's testimony

The case has gripped Bollywood and India for years.

Late on the night of 28 September 2002, Khan's Toyota Land Cruiser hit the American Express bakery in the Bandra area of Mumbai, authorities say.

The vehicle ran over five people sleeping on the street, killing 38-year-old Noor Ullah Khan and seriously injuring three others. Another person received minor injuries.

The prosecution alleged that Khan had been driving the car while drunk, both of which charges the actor denied in court in March.

But many witnesses disagreed.

A constable attached to Khan's security detail said in a statement to the police that the "drunk" actor had lost control of the car. The policeman died in 2007 of tuberculosis.

In April, Khan's driver told the court that he had crashed the car after a tyre burst but the court did not accept that version.

Case timeline

September 2002: Salman Khan's car runs over five people sleeping on a Mumbai street, killing a homeless man and injuring four others

October 2002: Khan charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder - arrested but granted bail

May 2003: Court rejects his plea to drop culpable homicide charge

June 2003: Mumbai high court drops culpable homicide charge; actor is then tried for rash and negligent driving

October 2007: Prime witness, a constable who served in his security detail, dies

March 2015: Khan tells the court he was not drunk and his driver was behind the wheel

May 2015: Khan found guilty, jailed for five years.
(BBC)