Having trouble with law is not something unheard of for celebrities and actors in India. Bollywood, Tollywood or Kollywood, there are numerous instances of celebrities violating the law and their subsequent early escape, which is considered to be a resultant of their celebrity status. Most of the actors have faced the law for drunken brawls, sexual assault, attempt to murder, illegal possession of arms and drugs and many more. But on the other hand there are celebrities who have served jail term.
Here is a list of actors with legal cases:
1. Sanjay Dutt
Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt was arrested on April 19, 1993, under TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act) for illegal possession of an AK-56 rifle, 9 mm pistol, hand grenades, and bullets. He was accused of possessing the arms on gangster Abu Salem's instruction. Dutt spent four years, three months and 14 days in prison. He walked out of Pune’s Yerwada Central Prison as a free man and he was paid wages of Rs 440 for his work in the prison during his term.
2. Salman Khan
Salman Khan's legal fight started in 1998 when he was accused of poaching chinkaras and blackbuck near Jodhpur during the shooting of the film Hum Saath Saath Hain. He was sentenced to one year in prison, which was later stayed by Rajasthan High Court. In 2014, Supreme Court issued a notice to Salman on Rajasthan government's plea challenging the HC order suspending his conviction. Actors Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu, and Neelam were also accused in the same case.
The nation was also consumed with Salman Khan's hit and run case, where it was alleged one person was killed in 2002 by his car. He was acquitted of all charges due to lack of evidence in 2015. Salman was alleged to be under the influence of alcohol when he ran his car into a bakery killing one person who was sleeping on the pavement, but the courts did not find enough evidence to convict him.
3. Shiney Ahuja
In 2011, Ahuja was sentenced to seven years of imprisonment for raping his 20-year-old maid in 2009. Even when the maid retracted her statement, Ahuja was convicted based on circumstantial evidence.
4. Amitabh Bachchan
Though Amitabh Bachchan was falsely implicated in the Bofors case, it took more than 20 years to clear his name. Bachchan was accused of receiving kickbacks through Bofors deal, a major arms dealer.
5. Nandamuri Balakrishna
Telugu film actor Balakrishna was arrested in 2004 for his alleged gunfire attack at producer B. Suresh and his associate, Satyanarayana Chowdhary. Both the actor and the producer were injured during the attack and were later admitted to a hospital. Balakrishna was granted bail later. His wife also got a show-cause notice since the gun used was licensed under her name.
6. Puru Raj Kumar
The son of veteran actor Raj Kumar, Puru Raj Kumar was arrested in a hit and run case in 1993. His car ran over five people who were sleeping on the pavement, killing three of them and injuring the other two. He was bailed out after spending one day in custody and paid a fine of around Rs 30,000.
7. Saif Ali Khan
In 2012, Saif was arrested based on a complaint filed by Iqbal Mir Sharma, a South African businessman for allegedly punching him who was seated next to Saif and his relatives in Taj Colaba. He was later released on bail. Saif Ali Khan was also one among the accused in the blackbuck poaching case, along with Salman Khan, while shooting for his film in Jodhpur.
8. M R Radha
Tamil actor M R Radha was arrested in 1967 for a murder attempt on actor M G Ramachandran (MGR) and further suicide bid. MR Radha had visited MGR's house for a discussion on their new film project and the former got up and shot MGR twice at his left ear and later attempted suicide. Radha was imprisoned for four years and three months.
9. Sooraj Pancholi
Bollywood actor Sooraj Pancholi was arrested for his alleged involvement in actress Jiah Khan’s suicide in 2013. According to the charge sheet filed by CBI, Sooraj made false promises to his alleged girlfriend Jiah which later led to her suicide.
10. Monica Bedi
In 2002, bollywood actress Monica Bedi was arrested along with gangster Abu Salem in Portugal for entering the country with fake documents. In 2006, she was convicted by the Indian court for having a passport with a fake name and later in 2010 her jail term was reduced to two and a half years.