Mumbai, May 6 (IANS): Filmmaker Subhash Ghai has joined the Bollywood fraternity to extend support to Salman Khan, whom he has described as an "excellent human being".

Held guilty of all charges in the 2002 hit-and-run case by a Mumbai court Wednesday morning and sentenced to five years in jail, the superstar "can apply for bail" in higher courts, Ghai said.

He was the latest among members of the Bollywood fraternity to show support to Salman.

"We all respect the court verdict for Salman Khan, but we all in our fraternity know that Salman is an excellent human being and has done extraordinary community services too," Ghai said in a statement, and added, "Now he can apply for bail and justice in higher courts."

"That is the beauty of judiciary system too. Let's wait and watch. I sincerely pray for him because I know him closely as a good person and a compassionate thinker," he added.

In the 2002 hit-and-run case here involving Salman, one man was killed dead and four others were injured.

Salman is likely to be taken into police custody and sent to the Arthur Road Central Jail in south Mumbai later in the day.