Salman's bail plea to be heard on Aug 30

Jodhpur, Aug 29: Rajasthan High Court judge Gopal Krishna Vyas today refused to hear the bail petition of Bollywood actor Salman Khan on grounds of judicial propriety.

A different bench of the court to be headed by Justice H R Panwar would hear the bail petition of the actor tomorrow.

Justice Vyas who was to hear the actor's bail plea according to roster, excused himself saying he had been a lawyer of one of the witnesses in the case.

Salman's lawyer, including Dipesh Mehta, were seeking an early hearing of the case.

The actor had to go to jail after the District and Sessions Court issued a non-bailable arrest warrant against him on August 24.

District and Sesions Court Judge Kamal Raj Singhvi had upheld the lower court's verdict of April 10, 2006 sentencing him to five years rigorous imprisonment in the chinkara poaching case.

He is convicted for poaching a chinkara, a species of protected antelope, in Ghoda Farm under Mathania police station on September 28-29, 1998, while he was camping here for the shooting of the film 'Hum Saath Saath Hain'.

Salman's other appeal against one year imprisonment for poaching two black bucks in Bhavad village on September 26-27,1998, is pending in court and will come up for hearing on September 10.

UNI