NEW DELHI, April 6 (Xinhua) -- A higher court in India on Friday deferred a bail plea hearing of leading Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who was sentenced to five years in jail for poaching two endangered antelopes in the western state of Rajasthan in 1998.
The 52-year-old actor killed the two blackbucks -- a protected species -- near a remote village in Rajasthan's city of Jodhpur late on Oct. 1 night in 1998 while shooting a movie.
"The district sessions court in Jodhpur postponed the hearing to Saturday and ordered all papers from the trial court that had handed down the sentence to Khan. The actor will have to spend another night in jail," a lawyer said.
Though Khan had been convicted Thursday by the court under Section 51 of Wildlife (Protection) Act, four other actors who starred with him in the movie -- Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Sonali Bendre and Neelam -- were acquitted though all of them were charged with the same offence.
This is the fourth case filed against Khan in connection with poaching wild animals during the filming of the popular movie, Hum Saath Saath Hain. He was acquitted in other three cases by various courts.
Khan is one of Bollywood's biggest stars who has starred in more than 100 films. But he is no stranger to controversies. He has been embroiled in various cases, including a hit-and-run case, and he was jailed twice in April 2006 and in August 2007 respectively
The actor insists he is innocent.
