Bollywood superstar Salman Khan on Saturday walked out of the Jodhpur Central Jail after a sessions court granted him bail in the 1998 blackbuck poaching case in which he was given a five-year prison sentence.
And, guess what. His encounters with the public, from the Jodhpur jail to his house, were all a hero's welcome to the core.
The Bollywood actor reached his residence in Mumbai amid loud cheers from a frenzied crowd, that was jostling as Salman thumped back to Mumbai.
Immediately after his release, 52-year-old Khan, who spent two nights in the jail, was driven under police escort to the Jodhpur airport from where he was flown to Mumbai in a special plane, a police official said.
Khan was allowed to leave the jail after the prison authorities received the bail documents, the official said. The actor's long-time bodyguard Shera accompanied him to the airport.
Hundreds of the actor's fans, who gathered outside the Jodhpur Central Jail, burst fire crackers and sang songs from his films as he walked out of the prison. The police had made tight security arrangements.
The fans, who were carrying garlanded posters of Khan, raised slogans like "Salman zindabad", "Salman tum sangharsh karo, hum tumhare saath hai". A few fans even chased the actor's cavalcade for some distance. Earlier, they had gathered outside the court and celebrated the grant of bail by bursting crackers.
In his order, District and Sessions Judge Ravindra Kumar Joshi also allowed Khan's application for suspension of sentence for a month against his conviction.
WATCH VIDEO| When Salman greeted crowd after getting bail in Blackbuck poaching case