MUMBAI: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who has been convicted by the Supreme Court for a five-year sentence in jail for illegal possession of arms, has now filed a review petition with the judiciary body.
Dutt is seeking review of the sentence which had sentenced him to five years in jail, in connection with the 1993 Bombay blasts. He was recently awarded a month-long extension, until the end of May, to surrender himself. The petition was filed by a legal team based in Delhi, and will be heard next week before the same bench.
The TADA court had pronounced Sanjay Dutt as guilty under the Arms Act for possession of a rifle, and had awarded him a five year prison sentence, which the SC had not interfered with. However, the trial court had specifically stated the Dutt was not a terrorist, by accepting his confession that he had kept the sophisticated AK-56 rifle for self-defense owing to the communal tensions in the city that year.
Dutt has filed the review petition within 30 days of the date of judgement or order, as per the guidelines prescribed. One lawyer revealed that the matter would be heard next week. If Dutt’s review petition is rejected for any reason, he will have to surrender himself latest by 18 May, unless the SC grants him another extension.
In the meantime, a non-bailable arrest warrant against Sanjay has been issues by a Mumbai court based on a complaint made by producer Shakeel Noorani. He has moved the Andheri court alleging that the actor did not complete his film, which had been agreed upon in 2002. Apart from the alleged signing amount of Rs, 50 lakhs, the producer is asking for Rs. 2 crores he claims he incurred as losses.
Dutt is currently working overtime to complete shooting for all the seven films he is starring in, before he has to surrender next month.
