Sanjay Dutt is all set to file a review petition in Supreme Court against the five-year sentence for possessing illegal arms in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blast case.
A Delhi-based legal team has prepared the review petition which is expected to be filed within one or two days.
On 21 March, the apex court upheld Sanjay Dutt’s conviction by a special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) court for illegal possession of a 9 mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle under the Arms Act. The court reduced the sentence to five years and gave the actor four weeks of time to surrender.
The actor’s contention is that a confession made under TADA, which is now defunct, cannot be considered as main evidence for offences under other Acts, including the Arms Act.
The review petition will be filed pointing out what the lawyers call “a binding decision of the SC based on an apparent error in a judgment,” according to a report in The Times of India. Even if the apex court dismisses the review petition, Sanjay Dutt can file a curative petition.
After the court’s verdict last month, support poured in for the actor from all quarters including from film stars and political leaders. Even as many supporters appealed to the Maharashtra governor seeking pardon for the actor, Dutt said that he would bow before the Supreme Court verdict and surrender on time.
Two days ago, the actor said that he will surrender before the Mumbai police on 18 April. Dutt has already served 18 months in jail. He will be returning to prison to serve his three and a half year jail term.
The actor is currently busy shooting films back-to-back in order to complete the projects that he had agreed to do before his surrender. Latest reports have emerged that a new film under his banner – Sanjay Dutt Productions – will go on floors on 12 April, a week before his surrender date.
