An Indian court has convicted Bollywood superstar Salman Khan of poaching, in a move that could derail his multi-million-dollar career.

Indian antelope, also known as blackbuck, are an endangered species protected under Indian law.

The 51-year-old was sentenced to five years in jail on Thursday, but will likely be released on bail as he appeals the conviction.

Khan was found guilty to having shot and killed two Indian antelopes when he went to Rajasthan on a shooting trip with friends in 1998.

Four other stars who joined Khan on the hunting trip – Saif Ali Khan, Sonali Bendre, Tabu and Neelam – were acquitted by Chief Judicial Magistrate Dev Kumar Khatri.

Members of a local, nature-worshipping religious sect called Bishnoi filed a complaint against Khan.

It has taken 20 years for the case to reach its conclusion.

Khan previously escaped conviction for deadly hit-and-run

Khan was acquitted during a hit-and-run case in 2014. Photo: Getty

Khan was the world’s ninth-highest-paid actor, raking in $48 million last year, according to Forbes.

That was despite several brushes with the law during his career.

In 2015, he escaped a conviction in a hit-and-run case where he was accused of running over a group of people sleeping on a sidewalk in a wealthy area of Mumbai, killing one and injuring four.

The scandals have not hurt his career or fame – films he stars in regularly make millions of dollars.

Earlier this year, a known Rajasthani criminal and extortionist who is also a member of the Bishnoi sect threatened to kill Khan if he returned to the area where he killed the antelope.

The threat sent local police into a panic, and they publicly announced they would take extra security measures to protect the superstar actor.

-ABC