Sanjay Dutt gets apex court's nod to go abroad

New Delhi, Jan 14 (IANS) Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt Wednesday got the Supreme Court's permission to go to New York as the United Nation's 'goodwill ambassador' to attend a conference on malnutrition next month.

A bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan gave him the permission and ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to release his passport.

The bench, which also included Justice P. Sathasivam and Justice J.M. Panchal, also ordered Dutt to return his passport to the CBI after returning from abroad latest by Feb 20.

It also granted Dutt the permission to travel to Thailand, Britain and South Africa during this period to complete the shooting of his two films.

In his petition filed through advocate Hari Shankar, Dutt had sought release of his passport, impounded by the designated anti-terror court of Mumbai, to enable his foreign travel.

Dutt's passport has been impounded by the court as a condition for his release on bail, granted by the apex court, pending its decision on his petition challenging his conviction and six-year-sentence for possessing illegal fire arms in the run-up to the 1993 serial terror bombing of the metropolis.

Dutt was granted permission to go abroad after senior counsel Fail S. Nariman, appearing for Dutt, pleaded to the court that the actor has to go to New York to attend a conference on global malnutrition.

Nariman said the conference has been organised by the UN and the actor is to attend it as a goodwill ambassador of the world body.

The apex court last year had granted permission to Dutt to travel to Malaysia, Thailand and the US to complete the shooting of his two other films.

The permission was granted April 11, when Dutt was asked to return his passport to the CBI by Sep 20.