The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed the review petition of film star Sanjay Dutt and six others in the Mumbai serial blasts case. The additional time of four weeks, granted by the apex court earlier to Dutt comes to an end on 15 May. This means Dutt will have to surrender by 16 May before the concerned authorities to serve his remaining three-and-a-half-year jail term for possessing illegal arms.
A bench of Justices P Sathasivam and BS Chauhan, which had earlier upheld the Special TADA court decision in March, rejected Dutt’s plea as well as the pleas of six others – Yusuf Mohsin Nulwalla, Khalil Ahmed Sayed Ali Nazir, Mohamed Dawood Yusuf Khan, Shaikh Asif Yusuf, Muzammil Umar Kadri and Mohd Ahmed Shaikh – convicted in the case.
Dutt now is left with just one legal option in the form of filing a curative petition in the court. Apart from that, only Maharashtra Governor, on the recommendations of the Maharashtra government, can pardon Dutt, who was convicted by the TADA court for illegal possession of a 9 mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle which were part of a consignment of weapons and explosives brought to India for Mumbai serial blasts in 1993.
The apex court had upheld the TADA court conviction, but it had reduced the jail term of Dutt from six years to five years on 21 March. The court had also rejected his application for his release on probation on the ground that the nature of offence was so serious that Dutt cannot be released on probation.
The apex court had at that time given four weeks to Dutt and others to surrender. Later, Dutt had urged from the apex court for six months of more time in view of crores of rupees riding on him in Bollywood. The apex court had given him another four weeks’ time to surrender which will come to an end on 15 May.
A bench of Justices P Sathasivam and BS Chauhan, which had earlier upheld the Special TADA court decision in March, rejected Dutt’s plea as well as the pleas of six others – Yusuf Mohsin Nulwalla, Khalil Ahmed Sayed Ali Nazir, Mohamed Dawood Yusuf Khan, Shaikh Asif Yusuf, Muzammil Umar Kadri and Mohd Ahmed Shaikh – convicted in the case.
Dutt now is left with just one legal option in the form of filing a curative petition in the court. Apart from that, only Maharashtra Governor, on the recommendations of the Maharashtra government, can pardon Dutt, who was convicted by the TADA court for illegal possession of a 9 mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle which were part of a consignment of weapons and explosives brought to India for Mumbai serial blasts in 1993.
The apex court had upheld the TADA court conviction, but it had reduced the jail term of Dutt from six years to five years on 21 March. The court had also rejected his application for his release on probation on the ground that the nature of offence was so serious that Dutt cannot be released on probation.
The apex court had at that time given four weeks to Dutt and others to surrender. Later, Dutt had urged from the apex court for six months of more time in view of crores of rupees riding on him in Bollywood. The apex court had given him another four weeks’ time to surrender which will come to an end on 15 May.