India
Sanjay Dutt walks free
Actor Sanjay Dutt walked free from Pune's Yerawada Jail after completing his prison term following his conviction for arms possession in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. The 56-year-old saluted the tri-colour fluttering on top of the jail building as he carried a bag containing his belongings and his inmate file with him. Dutt's wife Maanyata and noted film maker Rajkumar Hirani accompanied him.
Dutt accused of involvement in Mumbai blasts
Mumbai suffered a series of serial bombings on 12 March 1993. 123 people were accused of involvement including big underworld names like Dawood Ibrahim and Abu Salem. Accused number 117 was Sanjay Dutt, accused of accepting weapon deliveries from the likes of Abu Salem and Riyaz Siddiqui. Dutt was arrested on 19 April under the provisions of the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA).
Dutt granted bail and then re-arrested
Dutt was granted bail by the Supreme Court of India for the first time in his sentence in October 1995. He was arrested again in December. Dutt would spend most of the next two years of his life imprisoned, until April 1997, when he would be granted bail by the Supreme Court again. This prolonged period of imprisonment saw his Bollywood career suffer.
Dutt cleared of terrorism charges; yet jailed
March 2006 saw Abu Salem confessing that he had delivered AK-56 rifles to Dutt. Dutt had, in December 2001, denied his involvement with terrorism, and had rebuked the CBI charge that he had once possessed an AK-56 and later had it destroyed. Dutt was cleared of the terrorism charges but was convicted under the Arms Act by the Special TADA Court in November 2006.
Dutt's AKs
In a later statement, Dutt revealed that he had brought not one, but three AK-56 rifles, out of which he had kept one for the supposed protection of his family following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December 1992.
Dutt granted bail again
Dutt spent seven months imprisoned during 2006-2007. On 31 July 2007, TADA court under Judge P.D. Kode, sentenced Dutt to six years of rigorous imprisonment, on grounds of illegal possession of weapons. Dutt's defence that he feared for his life following Hindu-Muslim clashes a few months earlier, was rejected and bail denied. Dutt was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on 20 August.
Dutt granted bail by Supreme Court
Following his interim bail in August, Dutt was re-arrested on 22 October, after he received a copy of the TADA Court judgement. Dutt's appeal to the Supreme Court in August saw him being granted bail on 27 November. He was released from prison on the 29 November. Sixteen other convicts of the 1993 Mumbai blasts trial were also granted bail on the same day.
Dutt's petition rejected by the Supreme Court
On 21 March, the Supreme Court upheld the TADA verdict on Dutt, but reduced his sentence from six years to five years. On 10 May, the Supreme Court rejected Dutt's petition that his conviction in the 1993 Mumbai blast trials be reconsidered. Sanjay Dutt was imprisoned on 16 May and was moved to Yerawada Jail on 22 May, where he would complete his sentence.
Dutt's life after imprisonment
Dutt was granted parole on 21 December 2013, on the grounds of his wife, Maanyata Dutt's failing health. The one month parole was extended twice till 21 March 2014. He was again out on a two-week-long furlough starting from 24 December 2014 and spent Christmas with his family. He was spotted at a special screening of PK held in his honour on 25 December.
Sanjay Dutt granted parole for 30 days again
Sanjay Dutt, imprisoned since 2013, had applied for parole on June stating his daughter's illness as the reason. According to Bollywoodlife.com reports, the request had been accepted two days earlier, and that Sanjay will be out on parole for the next 30 days. The 30 day time-period of the parole can be extended for another 60 days, as far as reports go.
Sanjay Dutt to be released in March
Sanjay Dutt will be released from jail on March 7 after completing a five year sentence that was awarded to him in March 2013. He spent 18 months of his sentence as an under-trial and had 42 months left, which ends by March 7, official sources stated. Dutt has been lodged in Pune's Yerawada jail and has the reputation of being a well-behaved inmate.
Sanjay Dutt set to become free on 27 February
Actor Sanjay Dutt who is in Pune's Yerawada jail in an arms case related to the 1993 Mumbai blast, is set to be released on February 27, a few days prior to his official release date. This reprieve has been granted to him on the grounds of his good behavior. While serving time, his frequent parols on various grounds had been widely criticised.
