All Articles on Sanjay Dutt verdict Here - Page 11

Sanjay Dutt's bail hopes rest on SC

MUMBAI: The only legal road ahead for Sanjay Dutt is to approach the Supreme Court. The actor will have to file an appeal against the conviction and sentencing and seek bail as soon as possible.

And approaching the apex court, and setting the ball rolling for the bail, could start as early as Wednesday as Dutt's legal team has a copy of the operative part of the sentencing order.

All appeals against orders passed by a Tada court lie only in the apex court and this is where the battle will now be fought for Dutt's release.

Such appeals are usually mentioned before the Chief Justice of India and he, depending on the urgency of the matter, decides the next date of the actual hearing of the plea for interim orders. But this could take anything between a day and weeks as it will have to wait for the court's convenience.

But, on the flip side, the Central Bureau of Investigation can also approach the Supreme Court to appeal and seek enhancement of Dutt's prison term or even against his acquittal under Tada.

Petitions can also be filed by any of the blast victims against the sentence handed out to Dutt. But criminal expert Nitin Pradhan said an appeal by an NGO might not be entertained; only the state, the accused and the affected persons and witnesses could be parties to the case.

"The apex court does not interfere on facts but looks into whether those facts have been appreciated or interpreted properly by the judge," said police officer-turned-advocate Y P Singh.

It could even order a retrial given the fact that Abu Salem's statements were not taken into account. Dutt's is a borderline case as the other accused who helped the actor were convicted under Tada," Singh added on Tuesday.

"You must be prepared to face the consequences if you have committed an offence," criminal lawyer Adik Shirodkar said.

In Dutt's case, Shirodkar said, there was a hypothetical possibility for enhancing the sentence. But he was equally quick to pint out that the reverse might also happen. "There is also a chance that the apex court may acquit him." But enhancement of term was not a likely option, Pradhan said.

"It's mere speculation," he added. Pradhan has represented and argued for 22 accused in the case, including the bomb planters.

"Once he was acquitted of charges under TADA, what remained was the relatively minor offence under the Arms Act of possessing a weapon in a notified area," Pradhan explained.

"The prosecution could not even prove during the trial whether the AK-56 was part of the arms consignment that landed on the Konkan coast before the blasts. Dutt did not have any intention of being nor was part of terrorist conspiracy," he added.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Sanjay_Dutts_bail_h opes_rest_on_SC/articleshow/2247301.cms

Sanjay Dutt to move SC for interim relief

NEW DELHI: Sanjay Dutt's legal team is likely to move the Supreme Court against the special TADA court's verdict which has sentenced him to six years' rigorous imprisonment (RI), Times Now has reported.

Eminent lawyer Harish Salve is expected to file a petition on the actor's behalf in the apex court, the report added.

According to Times Now , the brawny actor broke down after meeting his MP sister Priya Dutt in court.

After the sentencing, Dutt requested the TADA court to grant him time to surrender.

Judge P D Kode, however, remarked that there was no provision under which Dutt could be given that benefit. Dutt's defence team has been asked by the judge to come up with reasons to convince the court to do the same.

The petition is expected to request the court to grant interim relief to the actor. There is, however, no precedent where a convict sentenced for six years by the TADA court has been shown such leniency.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Sanjay_Dutt_to_move_SC_fo r_interim_relief/articleshow/2246777.cms

Did Sanjay Dutt really deserve six yrs RI?

New Delhi: The sentencing of actor Sanjay Dutt to six years imprisonment in the 1993 Mumbai bombings on Tuesday brings to an end one of the world's longest terror trials during which 12 people were sent to the gallows and 20 got life imprisonment.

As proceedings began, Dutt sat with co-accused Russi Mulla and Kesri Adjenia and he seemed nervous awaiting Judge P D Kode's pronouncement. And when the judge announced the sentence, a shocked Dutt fought back tears and asked for some more time to surrender.

Did Dutt really deserve a six years rigorous imprisonment? CNN-IBN correspondent Ruksh Chaterjee put these questions to a panel of experts comprising Dutt's lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, senior criminal lawyer, Ashish Bhagat and special public prosecutor, Ujjwal Nikam.

Will Sanjay Dutt Get Out of This Mess?

Satish Maneshinde explained as to what the sentence means for Dutt and whether he would be able to get out of the mess that he had landed himself in.

An appeal against the order of the TADA Court always lies before the Supreme Court. Sanjay is convicted under the Arms Act and he has to appeal in front of the Supreme Court. We will present our case to the Supreme Court after the papers are ready. We will make our submissions when we get our hearings," he said.

Maneshinde further said that the legal team handling Dutt's case would remain the same, but if need be, then they would add senior lawyers in the team in order to fight for Dutt's case.

Ashish Bhagat -- who had not been able to examine the case on his own -- spelt out the provisions that could help Dutt get out of the jail term under the Arms Act.

"Under Section 27 and 29, possession of weapons, which is primarily contrary to Section 5 of the Arms Act entails an imprisonment of five to 10 years. So the options are limited for Dutt. He has to go to the Supreme Court and prove that hhis conduct is good. That and the fact that the case lasted for 14 long years, will be factors that will go a long way in favour of Dutt," Bhagat said.

However, when did Maneshinde plan to put the appeal through?

Maneshinde affirmed that even if the proceedings had already begun, it could get time until Dutt got bail. According to him, Dutt had also assured him to keep his calm and be strong.

Maneshinde said that Dutt undergoing many trials and tribulations in his life, including being in jail, losing his parents and wife and being in a drug rehabilitation centre had only helped him emerge stronger.

However, Maneshinde felt that SC would take kindly to the fact that Sanjay Dutt's case does not come under terrorism and that there have been no instances linking him to any conceived terrorist activity. He feels that the Dutt could have been given, if not better, similar treatment as that of his co-accused.

Maneshinde also clarified that Sanjay was never a 'kingpin' - who had controlled them through his actions. "He has simply made a mistake. However, I feel that a decision like this, coming from a senior Judge, should be accepted with all the humility," he added.

Momentous Verdict

Public Prosecutor, Ujjwal Nikam - who followed the trial for the last 14 years - said that it was a momentous occasion for him, because he had been striving hard to ensure the accused got their due measure of punishment.

Video

http://www.ibnlive.com/news/did-sanjay-dutt-really-deserve-s ix-yrs-ri/46013-3.html

'I'm with you, Dad!'

1 Aug 2007, 0000 hrs IST,TNN

Excerpts from a letter that Trishala Dutt, 19, sent from New York to father Sanjay Dutt on the Day of Judgement.

Today is a very important day for me. More important than any other day that has shaped my life. Your fate will be decided today. And I feel so helpless because I'm physically away from you at such a crucial time. I miss you, Dad.

I know I talk to you everyday, but I want to be close to you. I have so many things to share with you these days Sunday was your birthday and it pained me to know that you couldn't enjoy the day as you usually do. I don't know what present I can give you. Nothing can match my earnest prayers and wishes.

Perhaps, I crave for your freedom more than you do. I have one more wish for you. I don't want you to get married to anybody. I may sound selfish, but it's my love that's speaking.

I have a strong hunch that people use you for the wrong reasons. And you are naive not to understand. But I can see through all the games that women play to win you over. You don't need any other woman in your life now. One woman in your life, and that's me, is good enough.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/...how/2247008.cms

Sanjay pays for youthful excesses

By Nithin Belle (Our correspondent)
1 August 2007

MUMBAI — Life has been tough for 48-year-old actor Sanjay Dutt, and yesterday's sentence of six years rigorous imprisonment is the culmination of all his woes.

Sanjay, who has in several films portrayed bad guys — though many of who were soft from inside — has had to pay a heavy price for his youthful excesses. The son of a celebrity film couple — father Sunil Dutt was a superhero in his times, and mother Nargis was the reigning queen of Bollywood — Sanjay had his first tryst with pain when he saw his mother suffer from cancer.

It was a difficult childhood for Sanjay, and he was soon lured by drugs, even when he was in school. After the death of Nargis, a despondent Sanjay was dragged further into addiction. Sanjay's first film, Rocky, was a hit when it was released in 1981, when he was 22.

Father Sunil got into politics, and became a Congress MP, spending time in Delhi and other parts of India. The next decade was traumatic for the actor, as he battled against his addiction, and got into a rehabilitation centre in the US. He met his future wife, Richa Sharma, got married and had a daughter. But misfortune lurked in the horizon, and Richa fell victim to brain tumour and died.

Then there was a bitter legal battle with his in-laws over the custody of his daughter; he lost the case, adding to his woes. Yesterday, after the judge delivered the sentence, Sanjay pleaded with him to give him some time to take a call from his daughter Trishala, who is in New York. Judge P.D. Kode relented, and allowed Sanjay to speak to her for a few minutes, before heading to the cell in the Arthur Road jail. The trial too has been held in the jail premises, because of security issues related to the numerous convicts, all of who were lodged in the jail.

Then came the Bombay blasts case of 1993, and Sanjay's interactions with underworld characters, including Anees Ibrahim, brother of don Dawood. Just two months before the blasts he took deliveries of an AK-56 rifle and a 9mm pistol, apparently to protect his family from communalists who wanted to avenge his father's action of providing relief for Muslim victims of riots in Bombay.

Worse, when he realised the police had come to know of his links with the underworld, he called up his friends from Mauritius — where he was shooting — and asked them to destroy the weapons. Sanjay was arrested and spent about 16 months in jail, before being released on bail. He married Rhea Pillai, but his second marriage ended up in divorce in less than 10 years. In the meantime, his image took a battering, as tapes of his telephonic conversation with gangster Chhota Shakeel surfaced and were widely publicised.

Sanjay got a break in November, when he was acquitted on terrorism charges, but was convicted for illegally possessing weapons. Sunil Dutt, who was a minister in Manmohan Singh's cabinet, died in May 2005.

As a tearful Sanjay was led away from the court yesterday to the neighbouring cell, he was obviously hoping this would be the last stretch of the unhappy journey he embarked on about three decades ago. In most of his delightful movies, the hero (or villain) would be free, happily married with his lady love. But as Sanjay realised yesterday, real life is vastly different, and happy endings occur mostly in film scripts.

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In NY, daughter says he's strong

MUMBAI: Watching images of her father leaving for court on Tuesday, Trishala Dutt was consumed by regret.

Sitting far away in her New York home with her maternal grandparents, 19-year-old Trishala said she kept wishing she had been with him at such a crucial moment in Sanjay Dutt's life. "How I wished I was there with him, physically. I am in shock now. I didn't expect this," she told TOI.

The father-daughter duo had earlier touched base on Monday morning. "We cried and hoped for something positive. I told him to keep the faith. But life is cruel at the most unexpected times. I am sad, yes, but my spirit is not broken. I am very strong, like my dad. He will endure this test too. I know everything will be fine soon," she said.

Dutt's daughter said she was fervently praying while watching images of her father saying goodbye to his family. "But how could I stop my tears. I couldn't believe what was happening. I still can't. My mind isn't working," she said.

Trishala who studies in New York, is still praying for a legal reprieve.

"People say if you're positive about something, things happens according to your thoughts," she says.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/In_NY_daughter_says _hes_strong/articleshow/2247342.cms

SIX YEARS' JAIL FOR SANJU

By Eye TV India Bureau

The TADA Court in Mumbai today sentenced actor Sanjay Dutt to rigorous imprisonment for six years for illegal possession of arms. Dutt has been convicted under the Arms Act for the illegal possession of an AK-56 assault rifle and a pistol. He was earlier acquitted under TADA. Judge Kode took a stringent stand against the Bollywood actor contending that he was an offender. Dutt and two of his friends Yusuf Nulwalla and Kersi Adjania will not get benefit of Probation of Offenders Act. His pleas for a reprieve have been rejected by the judge.

The judge pronounced Dutt an offender and that he was present in a dinner party attended by Dawood Ibrahim. The judge also said Dutt had committed a series of offences and that he was mature when he committed these. The judge added that Dutt made Yusuf Nalwala commit the offence. He will be sent to the prison, straight from the court inside Arthur Road jail premises. Judge Kode does not have the powers to grant bail to Dutt as per the Criminal Procedure Code. Sanjay Dutt's bail will stand cancelled and he will be in jail, lawyer Majid Menon said. Dutt's lawyers, however, will appeal in the Supreme Court in the afternoon. Dutt's aide Russi Mulla, who helped destroy the firearms, was given a suspended sentence of one year, in view of his advanced age and behavior under the offenders of the Probation Act. He was fined Rs 1,00,000.

click for larger view

Dutt was almost in tears when the judge pronounced the verdict. He then asked whether he could make a call to his daughter Trishala. Sanjay and three of his associates, Yusuf Nulawala, Kersi Adejania and Rusi Mula, were convicted under the Arms Act.

The court under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) had on November 28 last year spared Dutt from the stringent TADA Act. They court had observed that he was not part of the conspiracy that led to the blasts in which 257 people were killed and more than 800 injured.

The sentence makes clear that Sanjay will have to go to jail once again for at least four years.

http://ww.smashits.com/news/bollywood/movie-talk/6294/six-ye ars-jail-for-sanju.html

is sanjay out of jail in bail yet?

Salman's midnight calls to Sanjay's house

18 Aug, 2007 05:58 pm ISTlINDIATIMES MOVIES

It's rather quiet in the bylanes of Bollywood these days, parties, premieres, film muhurats, any other mode of celebrations are currently being put on hold. Reason? Apna favourite Munnabhai is in jail and his colleagues and friends in the industry want to show their solidarity with the family. Salman cancelled his sister's birthday party, while we heard SRK told Yash Raj not to do premiere for Chak De in Mumbai. But what's really touching is Salman's concern for his friend. "Though Salman isn't vocal and open in his support to Sanjay, he makes sure that he remains in touch with his sisters and other members of the family. He sometimes gets up in the middle of the night and calls Sanju's house if he doesn't get any news about Sanju," says a friend of the star. We are sure Sanju's family isn't complaining. So why fret?

http://movies.indiatimes.com/articleshow/2290974.cms

SANJAY DUTT TURNS 48, SINGER, TOO

By Eye TV India Bureau

Sanjay Dutt son of late Bollywood couple Nargis and Sunil Dutt celebrated his birthday today (July 29th) in Mumbai, amidst a lot of anxiety. The actor has turned 48. Yes, he , his family and a large number of friends from the industry and outside, have expressed their good wishes for Sanjay in regard to the latter's case involving possession of arms .

The actor has been moving from pillar to post, including religious places in search of peace and pardon for his past acts. Sanjay expects that the court will commute his punishment into some sort of community service as is the practice in the west. Nothing has been the same for the actor since he was convicted under the Arms Act for the illegal possession of an AK-56 rifle and a 9 mm pistol on November 28 last year. The special court conducting the trial of the serial blasts case, however, absolved him of more serious charges under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA). "This accused is not a terrorist," the court had then said.

On July 31, Judge Pramod Kode is expected to decide whether to sentence Dutt or to grant him liberty under the Probation of Offenders Act. In case the judge does not grant him liberty, Sanjay faces a prison term of between five and 10 years. Dutt, whose career spans 26 years, has endured many ups and downs in quick succession. Born to successful and respected actor parents, Sunil and Nargis Dutt, his first movie 'Rocky' was a hit. But then he became addicted to drugs and had to undergo rehabilitation in the US. He left this phase behind to emerge as a mega-star with the success of Subhash Ghai's 'Khalnayak' opposite Madhuri Dixit, in the early 1990s.

But Dutt then found himself in jail in connection with the 1993 blasts case. His married life hasn't been too lucky either. In spite of all these mishaps in his personal life, the actor is rated too high in the industry for his acting skill and his hand of friendship for all and sundry. Sanjay Dutt is the real action hero in Bollywood, who has braved the storm amid stiff competition from the current breed of heroes. His films always create waves at the box office, be it 'Munnabhai' or 'Shootout at Lokhandwal'.

Sanjay has a talent for singing, too. His song in ' Zinda' and his duet with 'Asha Bhosle' fared very well with the music buffs. Besides, the actor has sung a jazzy song for Sanjay Gupta's film 'Alibag' . The song, titled 'Raat Khamosh Hai Subah Bolegi' is composed by Bappi Lahiri's son Bappa. The song's lyrics are written by Neelesh Mishra, and it is sung by Sanjay Dutt and Bappi Lahiri. Not only did Dutt and Lahiri recorded the song together they also shot for a music video that will be used for the promotion of the movie. Sanjay Gupta says that Dutt's singing skills have improved and he has displayed greater vocal dexterity in 'Raat Khamosh Hai'.'

Smashits wishes Dutt a happy birthday.

http://ww.smashits.com/news/bollywood/movie-talk/6300/sanjay -dutt-turns-48-singer-too.html