Actor Sanjay Dutt, who is currently serving the remaining 42 months of his five-year prison term in Pune’s Yerawada jail following his conviction in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, may be released months before his sentence ending in November next year, the actor’s lawyer and jail authorities told The Indian Express on Saturday.
While Dutt’s wife had Manyata earlier said he could be released early considering a convict’s right to remission, his co-star in Munnabhai series, Arshad Warsi, made similar claims on Saturday, saying he had heard that Dutt would be out by February next year and that they would start shooting on the sequel of the movie after that.
Since May 2013, the 56-year-old actor has been serving the remainder of his jail term for illegal possession of arms in a case related to the 1993 serial blasts, in which over 250 people were killed and several were wounded. The actor had served 18 months of his jail term around 2007-08, before he was convicted in the case.
When contacted, Dutt’s lawyer Hitesh Jain said, “All these statements are being made based just on conjectures, subject to his right to remission being considered. Every convict is entitled to a maximum of eight days of remission every month during his term based on his conduct.
Asked whether any special application for granting pardon or early release has been made by Dutt, Jain said, “No such application has been made.â€
Yerawada Central Prison superintendent U T Pawar said, “He (Dutt) is entitled to some days of remission every month, like any other convict. He may be released early as per rules. No exception has been made in this case.â€
Dutt has stayed out of jail for 118 days on paroles and furloughs in the first one year of his term at Yerawada, prompting many to raise questions whether the government was granting favours to him.
Sources : Indian Express
