By IANS
Jodhpur : It was another day of uncertainty for jailed Bollywood star Salman Khan Thursday as the Rajasthan High Court postponed by a day hearing of his bail plea and revision of his sentence. The actor has been in jail since Saturday and reportedly spends his time sketching, reading and chatting with other inmates.
The state high court has sought records on the actor’s sentencing from the lower court.
“Salman’s counsel presented his case for bail and revision plea in front of the judge after which Justice H.R. Panwar called for the records from the lower courts, and gave tomorrow’s date for hearing,” Mahipal Bishnoi, lawyer for the Bishnoi community, told IANS. The Bishnois along with the state government filed the case against the star.
The actor has been handed a five-year jail term for hunting an endangered chinkara deer in 1998. The Bishois consider the deer a sacred animal.
“The hearing is expected to take place at 11 a.m.,” Salman’s counsel Hastimal Saraswat said.
Salman’s sister Alvira was present in the court Thursday, which was packed with curious onlookers keen to know the fate of the Bollywood actor.
Interestingly, for the last around 30 years Jodhpur lawyers have been staying away from work on the last working day of every month in protest against shifting of the main bench of the Rajasthan High Court to Jaipur.
However, since a couple of Salman’s lawyers are from outside the state, the hearing would take place, lawyers here said.
In his bail and revision plea, Salman has stated that there was no evidence against him in the case and his driver Harish Dulani’s testimony in the court was not trustworthy, as he has been changing his statements frequently.
On Wednesday, it was a dramatic day for the popular actor as high court judge G.K. Vyas refused to hear his bail and revision pleas in the morning and ordered their transfer to another bench.
Salman had surrendered to the Rajasthan Police Saturday following an arrest warrant.
Salman has been convicted of poaching a chinkara deer at the Ghoda farm near Jodhpur on the night of Sep 28, 1998 while filming Sooraj Barjatya’s blockbuster “Hum Saath Saath Hain”.
On Aug 24, the district and sessions court here dismissed the actor’s plea against the five-year jail term handed by a chief judicial magistrate’s court.
In April last year, the district and sessions court had found Salman guilty under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. He had appealed against the judgement.
Meanwhile, sources at Jodhpur central jail say Salman Khan keeps himself busy drawing sketches and talking to inmates.
“Salman is spending time reading books and newspapers and drawing sketches. He requests the jail administration for plain paper and is provided the same,” a source in the jail told IANS.
The actor gifted one of his sketches to his sisters Alvira and Arpita on Raksha Bandhan on Tuesday. The jail authorities are reportedly keen to get some of his sketches before he is let out on bail.
The macho star exercises a lot and gives health tips to other inmates. At times he also speaks about films to some of the inmates, the source added.