Salman Khan to help free 400 prison inmates in UP

Kanpur: Bollywood superstar Salman Khan has offered to pay the fine on behalf of about 400 inmates who are languishing in jail despite completing their term. Salman`s charitable organistation Being Human has written to jail authorities offering to help inmates who have served their sentence but are still locked up because they cannot pay their fine due to poverty or some other reason.

Jail authorities have sent the letter to the legal section. Following their clearance a no objection certificate will be sought from the administration. With their permission, the ‘Bodyguard’ star`s foundation will submit about Rs 40 lakhs thereby freeing approximately 400 inmates from jails in the state. “In about 63 jails in UP there are 400 such inmates who have completed their jail term but are still inside because they cannot pay fine due to financial problems,” Vijay Kumar Gupta, IG Jail (UP), said. When a convict is sentenced for a crime he is asked to pay a certain fine along with the jail term. If he is unable to pay the fine the prisoner may have to serve an additional term. Salman himself has been involved in a few legal troubles. In 2002, the 46-year-old actor was arrested for rash and negligent driving after his car ran into a Mumbai bakery. Charges of culpable homicide were laid against him, but later dropped and he was found not guilty. In 2006, Salman was sentenced to one year in prison for hunting a ‘Chinkara’ but was granted bail after spending three days in prison. PTI