An Indian court on Wednesday handed down a five-year jail sentence to Bollywood superstar Salman Khan 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.

The judge told a sessions court Khan should receive “five years in jail” for the crash that the actor had blamed on his driver. Khan looked stunned as the sentence was read out, according to an AFP reporter.

Khan's lawyers have already applied for bail in the Bombay high court which is expected to hear the case shortly, reports say. The actor remains in the trial court while his fate is being decided.

Khan, star of Bollywood blockbusters such as “Dabangg”, was accused of driving his Toyota Land Cruiser into a group of homeless men sleeping rough in suburban Mumbai after spending the evening in an upmarket bar.

Friends and family members had also visited Khan's residence a day before his hearing. Among them was Khan's co-star Shahrukh Khan who was seen outside the former's home on Tuesday evening.