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No leniency for Munna, gets 6 yrs Mumbai, July 31 Also sentenced were two of Dutt's friends who played a major role in disposing off the weapon. Following the sentencing of Sanjay Dutt and his friends, the process of hearing and sentencing in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case by the TADA court is complete. Shortly after Judge Pramod Kode began reading his verdict it became clear that the going would not be smooth for the actor. The judge rejected the report made under the application for probation under the Probation of Offenders Act (POA) by the actor and his friends. Only one of Dutt's friends, Rusi Mulla, who was convicted for attempting to destroy an AK-56 rifle, was given the benefit under the Probation of Offenders Act. Mulla was ordered released on payment of a bond of Rs 1 lakh and a surety of same amount. In what had become a television event, Sanjay Dutt left home with a vermillion mark on his forehead and several prayer strands strung on his hands. Clad in white kurta and jeans, Dutt was driven to the TADA court located in the Arthur Road Central Jail accompanied by his lawyers. Outside the court and at his residence, thousands of fans thronged the place for a glimpse of the actor who virtually rebuilt his career after a 16-month stint in jail.Dutt was convicted on November 28 last year under the Arms Act for possessing an AK-56 rifle and 9 mm Chinese make pistol. However, he had been acquitted under the Terrorism and Disruptive Activities Act. Rejecting Dutt’s plea for release under the POA, Judge Kode ruled that the actor had not merely committed a criminal act but also induced three others to commit criminal acts on his behalf. The actor’s links with Dawood Ibrahim and his presence at parties thrown by the gangster shortly before the serial blasts were also used against his plea for release under the POA. Judge Kode also stated that affidavits filed by public personalities like actor Dilip Kumar in support of Sanjay Dutt were of no use in court since there was material which proved that he had indulged in a criminal act. Judge Kode also dismissed the argument of the defence that the weapons were acquired by Dutt for self-defence. He ruled that such an acquisition could be called ‘noble’ and was contrary to the law. “I must say that for every citizen, the laws of the nation shall be respected. If you don’t, I don’t expect you to be called a moral person,” Kode said. The court also ruled that Dutt’s was an “eminently dangerous act” as the weapon possessed by Dutt was capable of mass destruction though the accused had not used the weapons. The court also fined Sanjay Dutt Rs 25,000. Shortly after the verdict was announced Sanjay Dutt asked the judge for bail. However, Judge Kode said he did not have the power to grant him bail and urged him to apply before higher courts. Films of nearly Rs 50 crore are riding on the actor. It includes the third part in the Munnabhai series - Munnabhai Chale America, Dhamaal, Mr Fraud, Kidnap and Alibaug.
Sanjay
taken to Arthur Road jail
Mumbai, July 31 Judge P.D. Kode permitted the actor to take a call from his daughter Trishala in the US. Kode also heeded Dutt's request that he and his friend Yusuf Nulwala be kept in the Arthur Road jail.
— IANS
Serial blast trial ends
Mumbai, July 31 The trial, which began in 1994 in a high-security makeshift courtroom in Arthur Road jail, saw 12 people being awarded death sentences - the highest in any single criminal case. Yaqub Memon was among the dozen given capital punishment. Twenty others were sentenced to life imprisonment.
— PTI
Mumbai, July 31 Kersi Adjania, in whose foundry the weapon in Dutt's possession was sought to be destroyed, was awarded two years rigorous imprisonment for destroying evidence. Both, Nalwalla and Adjania have been slapped a fine of Rs 25,000 each. — UNI
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