AMITABH BACHCHAN - BACHCHAN FRAUD CHARGES DISMISSED

LATEST: Bollywood superstar AMITABH BACHCHAN is breathing a sigh of relief after an Indian court ordered fraud charges filed against him over his farmland be dropped. The 64-year-old actor was investigated by Indian officials earlier this year (07) after he was accused of falsely acquiring the land in Uttar Pradesh state - an area which his wife, Jaya, represents in parliament - by declaring himself a farmer. But Bachchan has since abandoned his claim to the land and surrendered it to local farmers, leading the high court in Lucknow to withdraw the charges at the hearing on Tuesday (11Dec07). However, the star - who also faces similar charges in Maharashtra state - could still face legal action over the Uttar Pradesh land dispute if the state government chooses to appeal to the Supreme Court.