Plea for Sanjay Dutt’s pardon forwarded to Home Dept
1 April 2013 1:54 AM GMT
The process of seeking pardon for Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt has started with Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan forwarding the letter of expelled Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, seeking pardon for the actor, to the state Home Department on 28 March.
Legal experts say with the governor sending the letter to the home department, the outcome will depend on the advice of the state home ministry and council of ministers.
‘Sending of the letter by the governor to the home department clearly means that the process has been started by the governor. Now it will depend on the advice given by the state home department and the state cabinet. When a mercy petition is sent to the president, he sends it to the central home ministry and in the case of the state, the governor sends it to the state home department,’ says HS Phoolka, a noted Supreme Court lawyer.
On 26 March, Singh and MP Jaya Prada had met the governor to seek pardon for Dutt. While Singh had said that Dutt has already suffered and has been in jail as well, Jaya Prada said, ‘He (Dutt) is an innocent person.’
Legal experts say with the governor sending the letter to the home department, the outcome will depend on the advice of the state home ministry and council of ministers.
‘Sending of the letter by the governor to the home department clearly means that the process has been started by the governor. Now it will depend on the advice given by the state home department and the state cabinet. When a mercy petition is sent to the president, he sends it to the central home ministry and in the case of the state, the governor sends it to the state home department,’ says HS Phoolka, a noted Supreme Court lawyer.
On 26 March, Singh and MP Jaya Prada had met the governor to seek pardon for Dutt. While Singh had said that Dutt has already suffered and has been in jail as well, Jaya Prada said, ‘He (Dutt) is an innocent person.’
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