Thursday, December 15 2005 16:16 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Mumbai: The Bombay High Court today (Dec 15, 2005) granted interim relief to Bollywood actor Salman Khan seeking cancellation of non-bailable warrant against him issued by a Jodhpur court in the black buck poaching cases of 1998.

Hearing Salman's plea, Justice S C Dharmadhikari granted Salman a protection period till December 20 regarding the implementation of the warrant.

The court, however, asked Salman to appear before the competent court within ten days in the black buck poaching cases.

Salman's counsel had prayed that the actor should not be arrested for not responding to warrant. In the event of his arrest, his counsel has urged that Salman may be granted bail on the conditions that would be laid down by the high court.

A Jodhpur court had recently issued an arrest warrant against the Bollywood actor in the black buck poaching case of 1998 after rejecting his plea for exemption from personal appearance.

In his application, the actor said he had pleaded exemption from personal appearance as he had undergone hair weaving surgery on December 11 and was advised not to move out for two days.

However, actor Satish Shah, another accused in the case, had appeared in the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate B K Jain in Jodhpur. The local court had adjourned the hearing in the two cases till January 12.

Two cases of black buck (Chinkara) poaching were filed by the Forest Department against the Bollywood actors with the Mathania police station on October 11, 1998.