Sanjay Dutt can shoot abroad till Nov 15: apex court

New Delhi, Sep 5 (IANS) The Supreme Court Friday granted Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt - convicted in connection with the 1993 Mumbai blasts - an additional one-and-a-half months to complete film shoots abroad.

A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and Justice P. Sathasivam asked Dutt to complete his ongoing film shooting in South Africa by Nov 15 and submit his passport to the Central Bureau of Investigation by Nov 30.

Convicted by an anti-terror court of Mumbai for possessing illegal firearms ahead of the 1993 serial terror blasts there, Dutt had been granted permission by the apex court to go abroad for film shooting April 10.

The apex court had earlier granted him bail, pending his plea challenging his conviction that entails a six-year jail term. At that time, the apex court had ordered confiscation of his passport as one of the conditions for his release.

Dutt, however, had approached the apex court March 13, seeking permission to go to Malaysia, Thailand and the US to shoot for 'Blue' and 'Chatur Singh Two Star'.

The bench had granted him permission, stipulating that he should complete his shooting by Sep 30. This has now been extended to Nov 15.

The bench allowed Dutt to stay abroad for the extended period on an application filed by senior Counsel Fali S. Nariman on his behalf. Additional Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam too did not oppose his plea.