Sanjay Dutt heads back to jail, family bids farewell

Table Talk

Sanjay Dutt has left for Yerwada Central Jail, Pune, after his 30-day parole expired on Saturday. The 56-year-old actor was granted parole in August because his daughter Iqra had to undergo a nose surgery.

Dutt was seen off by his wife and kids Shahraan and Iqra along with others at his Mumbai residence on Saturday.

The actor had been serving term after having found guilty for possession of a prohibited weapon without a licence in the wake of the Mumbai blasts in 1993 – the first ever serial terror strike that happened in the Indian soil – that claimed the lives of hundreds. He was then booked under TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act).

Dutt had served 16 months of his term in jail between 1994 and 1995 and for a few weeks again in 2007. In 2013, his sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court, and the ruled that he will have to serve the remaining sentence (three years) in jail.

During that time, Justice Markandey Katju, Press Council of India chairman and former Supreme Court judge, wrote to the President of India and the Maharashtra Governor to pardon Dutt, citing that the actor has been rehabilitated having served almost half his sentence; the plea got rejected.

Dutt surrendered before the court in May 2013 following his conviction. Later in December, he was out on parole for 30 days, which got further extended after his wife Manyata had to undergo urgent surgery for a collapsed lung.

Image credit: Yogen Shah