MUMBAI, India —  A court extended the bail of an Indian actor by almost a month Thursday while he awaits sentencing for illegal arms possession in connection with the 1993 Mumbai bombings that killed 257 people.

Judge Pramod Kode said Sanjay Dutt could remain free on bail until Jan. 18, when his lawyers present arguments aimed at winning a short prison term for the Bollywood actor, who faces up to 10 years behind bars.

Dutt was convicted last month of unauthorized possession of three assault rifles and a pistol allegedly supplied by another person accused in the bombings. He was acquitted of a more serious charge of conspiracy.

Dutt had asked for his bail to be extended to help him complete filming two movies and spend time with his teenage daughter.

The actor was one of 100 people convicted in the case. Twenty-three others were acquitted.

The plot's alleged masterminds, Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon, and 33 other suspects remain at large and have not been tried. Authorities say many are hiding in Pakistan, a charge denied by Islamabad.

Twelve bombs exploded over a two-hour period on March 12, 1993, after the bombers had parked scooters, cars and jeeps packed with explosives at Mumbai's stock exchange, cinemas, an Air India office, gasoline stations, a passport office, crowded jewelry and cloth markets, and two hotels.

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The bombings are believed to have been acts of revenge for the demolition by Hindu extremists of a 16th century mosque in northern India in 1992. After the demolition, religious riots erupted in many parts of India, pitting Muslims against Hindus. It left more than 800 people dead, most of them Muslims.

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