Sanjay Dutt’s hope of leaving jail dashed

Actor will remain in jail till November 2016.

NEW DEHLI: If you were born in the ‘70s or ‘80s and were a hardcore Bollywood movie buff, then you probably have a very strong emotional bond with the actors who then ruled the screens. Sanjay Dutt is one actor who wowed us with his action stunts as well as with his mellow side. And when he was charged for possessing banned arms and ammunitions — in 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case — many hearts were broken. The actor, who surrendered on May 16 to serve a three-and-a-half years’ jail term — remaining out of his five-year sentence — will now step out of prison around November 2016.

Dutt’s last hope of leaving jail were dashed earlier this week as the Supreme Court refused to revisit its March 21 verdict upholding his conviction under the Arms Act and five-year jail sentence.

“We have gone through the curative petition and the relevant documents. In our opinion, no case is made out within the parametres indicated in the [earlier] decision of this court...Hence, the curative petition is dismissed,” said Chief Justice P Sathasivam, Justice GS Singhvi and Justice BS Chauhan.

Dutt had pleaded to the court to revisit its March 21 order which upheld his conviction. The court then offered him partial relief by reducing his sentence from six years, as awarded by the trial court, to five years.

On March 21, the court gave the actor additional time to surrender to serve the remaining period of his five-year sentence.

A Special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (TADA) court, which heard the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts cases, acquitted Dutt of charges under the stringent anti-terror law but convicted him under the Arms Act for unauthorised possession of banned arms and ammunitions.

The TADA court had convicted Dutt on Nov 28, 2006, and he was sentenced June 31, 2007.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 29^th, 2013.

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