The Bombay High Court Monday rejected Bollywood star Salman Khan's plea for an in-camera trial in a September 2002 hit-and-run case.

The court, however, stayed its order rejecting Salman's plea for five weeks' time to enable him to file an appeal in the Supreme Court.

Salman is accused of ramming his car into a bakery in the central Mumbai suburb of Bandra Sep 28, 2002, in the process killing a man and injuring four others who were sleeping on the pavement outside the bakery.

The star had initially pleaded that the entire trial be held in-camera, but later changed his plea to ask for in-camera deposition of only the main witness, Constable Ravindra Patil - the then bodyguard of Salman who was with him in the car when the incident occurred.

Patil had earlier told police that he had warned Salman not to drive rashly lest he met with an accident, but the actor did not pay him any heed.

The trial in the case was slated to begin Sep 22 in the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate J.B. Pankhe.

Police had Sep 7 returned Salman's passport, which they had seized earlier, to enable him to go abroad for a film shoot.

The high court, which had framed 10 charges against Salman Oct 6, 2003, has granted him permanent exemption from appearing in the trial.