Sanjay Dutt to walk free today

Tribune News Service

Pune/Mumbai, February 24

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt will be a free man on Thursday when he walks out of Yerawada Jail, where he served 42 months as part of his five-year sentence after being convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case.

The 56-year-old actor was lodged in the prison in May 2013 to undergo the remainder of his sentence after being convicted of illegal possession of arms. The Bollywood star was arrested on April 19, 1993, for possession and destruction of an AK-56 rifle, which was part of cache of arms and explosives that landed in India prior to the serial blasts.

Maharashtra Minister of State for Home Ram Shinde yesterday said the actor would be completing his jail term on February 25, after counting in the eight months and 16 days he earned as exemption or remission on account of good behaviour in prison.

Jail officials said the actor, who has been dogged by controversies triggered by accusations that he availed of irregular remission in his sentence and was accorded a special treatment by the authorities, would be released tomorrow.

According to his lawyers, Dutt’s remission days were calculated in accordance with rules and jail manual.

“Dutt will be released tomorrow (February 25) around 10 am in keeping with the normal procedures as applied to every prisoner who has completed his sentence and jail term,” Yerawada Jail Superintendent UT Pawar said.

Pawar refuted allegations that the jail authorities had given Dutt a special treatment during his stay in view of his celebrity status.

“His remission was worked out in compliance with jail rules and he was treated like any other convict,” he said. According to jail officials, the “Khalnayak” and “Munnabhai” of the silver screen was given work of making paper bags in his cell. Embroiled in debates over his frequent parole and furlough leave in many quarters, the actor, however, consistently participated in programmes on internal circuit jail radio, sources said.

(With PTI inputs)