The Supreme Court Friday deferred Sanjay Dutt's bail plea to Nov 20, ensuring that the actor would spend Diwali in Pune's Yerawada jail where he is undergoing a six-year term for his involvement in the 1993 Mumbai bombings.

A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice R.V. Raveendran Friday said it would hear the actor's bail plea on Nov 20.

The Supreme Court goes on a weeklong vacation beginning Monday.

Dutt had moved the apex court Oct 25, challenging his conviction by a special anti-terror court under the Arms Act for possessing illegal arms in the run up to the serial blasts. The petition also sought bail, pending a decision on his plea.

Dutt has challenged his conviction on the ground that he was forced to make the confession under duress from the police and had retracted it during the trial.

The actor was taken into custody July 31 soon after the delivery of the verdict by special judge P.D. Kode, who, however, had failed to hand over the copy of his detailed reasoned judement to him and other convicts.

On Aug 20, the Supreme Court freed him temporarily along with five others till they received the copies of the judgment. He was back in jail on Oct 22.