Sunday, July 10 2005 16:01 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court will hear on July 13, a petition filed by actor Salman Khan seeking to quash a lower court's order, which had rejected his plea for in-camera trial in a hit-and-run case.

Salman is facing the charge of killing one person and injuring four by ramming his vehicle into a shop.

Hearing Salman's plea, Justice V K Tahilramani earlier adjourned the matter till July 13. On June 17, a magistrate had rejected Salman's plea for in-camera trial saying the grounds cited by the actor did not make out a case for such trial.

He also noted that in-camera trial is normally held in cases of rape or unnatural offences to protect the identity of victim or witnesses but in this case it was not justified.

Salman's lawyer Dipesh Mehta pleaded that media was going overboard in reporting this case. He said interviews of witnesses appeared in newspapers which prejudiced the minds of the court and the people. In the lower court, the prosecution had opposed Salman's plea saying that this was not a case for in-camera trial and that the grounds cited by the actor were not relevant to ask for in-camera trial.

Salman has been allowed exemption in the court by the Bombay high court throughout the trial unless the court felt his presence necessary. A local court had on October 6, 2003, framed ten charges against Salman even as the actor had pleaded not guilty.

Earlier, the High Court dropped the charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Salman and directed the lower court to frame other charges.