September 01, 2007	Saturday	Sha’aban 18, 1428

JODHPUR, Aug 31: An Indian court on Friday granted bail to top Bollywood actor Salman Khan pending his appeal against a conviction for poaching protected wildlife, paving the way for his release from prison.

The 41-year-old star was sent to jail last week after a court threw out an appeal by the actor against his conviction, under which he has to serve a five-year prison term. “The court has accepted his bail plea,” Khan's lawyer told reporters in western Jodhpur city.

The high court will now take up Khan's case on Oct 24.

The actor has also been convicted under India's Wildlife Protection Act in at least one other poaching case.

Khan allegedly shot dead a few endangered antelopes in the western state of Rajasthan during the making of a film in 1998.

Indian courts are often known to take several years, and sometimes decades, to pronounce verdicts because of a lack of resources and too much paperwork. Wildlife activists said they were disappointed about the bail.

“I find it shocking... How many times do we have to convict him?” former environment minister and animal activist Maneka Gandhi told the Times Now television network.

Khan, known for playing a tough guy in Hindi films, also faces charges of manslaughter after a road accident in 2002 left one person dead and four injured.—AFP