Sanjay Dutt moves apex court for nod to contest polls

New Delhi, March 5 (IANS) Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt Thursday moved the Supreme Court seeking suspension of his conviction for possession of illegal arms during the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings to enable him to fight the forthcoming general elections.

Dutt has been sentenced to six years in jail and is currently out on bail.

The film star has sought parity with cricketer-turned-Bharatiya Janata Party MP Navjyot Singh Sidhu whose conviction in a case of unintentional killing had been stayed by the apex court in 2007 to enable him to run for elections.

According to electoral laws, a person convicted for a criminal offence and sentenced to a jail term for more than two years cannot fight the elections.