MUMBAI (AFP) - Indian movie star Salman Khan managed to avoid the spotlight when he returned to court on Monday (May 7) over his five-year jail sentence for killing endangered wildlife.

He was convicted last month of shooting dead two rare antelopes on a hunting trip while shooting a movie in 1998.

The Bollywood icon complied with his bail terms by appearing at an early-morning hearing in Jodhpur, in the western state of Rajasthan.

He slipped into court at around 8am local time, catching Indian media off-guard. Court sessions generally start much later in India.

The judge quickly adjourned proceedings after Khan's defence team requested for more time to prepare their appeal.

Four other actors were acquitted at last month's hearings, and Khan spent two nights in jail before he was released on bail.

He has repeatedly denied killing the animals and accuses Rajasthan's forest department of trying to frame him.

His lawyers claim the animals died of natural causes, insisting there was no evidence they were shot.