The movie star had been due to give a statement relating to an ongoing gun case at a court in Jodhpur, but Khan's attorney asked for his client to be excused on the grounds of "ill health", according to the Indian Express.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate accepted the application and ordered Khan back to court on 29 April (15).

Reports suggest an earache is to blame for Khan's absence.

He is facing weapons charges relating to a poaching case in 1998, when he was accused of killing a number of wild animals with guns that had expired licences.

Khan is also in the midst of a legal fight in Mumbai over a hit-and-run case dating back to 2002 in which he is accused of killing one victim and injuring four others after ploughing his car into a bakery. Khan denies a charge of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, and faces up to 10 years in prison if he is convicted.