Jodhpur, Aug. 30: Salman Khan’s bail hearing has been put off for the second day running with Rajasthan High Court posting it for tomorrow, when there is a lawyers’ strike.

The actor’s lawyers have sought the bar association’s permission to appear in court. “We have sought permission from the bar association. They understood our position,” said counsel Dipesh Mehta.

High court lawyers here have struck work on the last working day of every month for the past 30 years in protest against the transfer of nine districts to the Jaipur bench in 1977.

The bar association, however, does allow lawyers to attend court in matters relating to individual rights, said Rajit Joshi, president, Rajasthan High Court Advocate Association.

Salman’s bail petition was to come up yesterday, but Justice G.K. Vyas asked for the case to be transferred to a different judge.

“Today, Justice H.R. Panwar ordered for the trial court records,” Mehta said.

Anxious fans gathered outside the jail this evening as rumours swirled around the city that the actor had taken ill and was being shifted to hospital. But jail authorities said that despite the setback, Salman was “as cheerful as when he came”.

“He expects to be out,” said deputy inspector-general (prisons) M.B. Purohit. “He is not under rigorous imprisonment, so he doesn’t need to work.”

The actor has been spending his time sketching, exercising and reading. One of his sketches is said to resemble his father Salim Khan, a jail source said, adding that he was obviously missing his family.

“He hasn’t asked for anything special. We give him whatever is on the jail menu,” Purohit said.

The actor, however, has a fan in his cell, where the only company he has is that of cellmate Kishore Parikh, a lifer.

“Since the killing of an animal is an emotive issue, other prisoners are not allowed to walk up to him,” Purohit said.

Outside the jail, Mohammad Ismail was anxious about his hero’s health. “I spent the morning standing outside the high court with flowers, expecting Salman would get bail,” he said, adding that Salman was being victimised because he was a celebrity.

“How long can a man spend time in jail over an animal? They don’t even have enough evidence against him. Salman is the only one who has been nailed in this case; everyone else has got out scot-free.”