Salman Khan: Bollywood star avoids jail for the moment as hit-and-run sentence is suspended

The Mumbai High Court will hear Khan's appeal in July

Salman Khan has been granted bail until his appeal in July (AP)

The Bollywood star Salman Khan, sentenced to five years in prison for killing a homeless man in a hit-and-run incident in 2002, has avoided jail for the time being after a Mumbai court granted him bail until his appeal later this year.

Many had expected Khan to be jailed today, but the Mumbai High Court suspended his sentence until July, when it will start to hear the 49-year-old's appeal.

Khan had been sentenced to five years in prison on Wednesday on charges of driving over five men sleeping on a Mumbai pavement in 2002, killing one of them named Noor Ullah.

Prosecutors accused Khan of slamming into the homeless people after losing control of his Toyota Land Cruiser following an evening spent drinking at an upmarket bar.

The actor claimed his driver had been driving at the time but the judge on Wednesday ruled Khan was behind the wheel and had been drinking before the crash.

Immediately after his conviction, Khan approached the high court with an appeal submission and was given interim bail until today.

Khan is one of Bollywood's most popular stars, appearing in more than 90 Hindi-language films in his 27-year career.

It could take years more for Khan's case to wind its way through India's overburdened legal system.

Additional reporting by PA