SC upholds Sanjay Dutt's conviction, sentences him to five years in jail

The Supreme Court awarded five years jail sentence to the actor Sanjay Dutt in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. 

 

Dutt had been given six years jail term by the TADA court. The SC reduced his sentence to five years. As Dutt has already spent 18 months in jail, he will have to spend three years and six months in jail. 

Also upholding the sentence of Yakub Memon the SC said that that he was the biggest accused in the case. 

Pronouncing the verdict the SC said, "We have no doubt about Memon's role in the blasts.” 

The apex court also came down heavily on Pakistan. They said that Pakistan's complicity in the heinous crime could not be denied. 

“The accused were trained in bomb making and to handle sophisticated weapons in Pakistan,” SC said adding, “Management and conspiracy of blasts were done by Dawood Ibrahim and others.” It also said that Pakistan's intelligence agency ISI was also involved in the Mumbai blasts. 

Meanwhile, the court reduced the death sentence of ten others to life term. 

Yakub Memon is Tiger Memon's brother. Tiger along with Dawood Ibrahim is said to be the mastermind of the blasts. They fled India after the blasts. 

The apex court is hearing appeals and cross-appeals filed by and against 100 people who were convicted by the special TADA court in 2006 in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. Film actor Sanjay Dutt is amongst those whose fate will be decided today. 

Sanjay Dutt was sentenced to six year jail term by a TADA court in the 1993 blasts case. He had spent 18 months behind bars during the trial. Dutt, 53, would have to undergo the rest of the sentence if the Supreme Court upholds the TADA court's verdict. 

The actor was convicted in November 2006 for illegal possession of a 9mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle but was acquitted of more serious charges of criminal conspiracy under the now defunct anti-terror TADA. 

After a marathon 10-month-long hearing beginning November 1, 2011, the Supreme Court had in August 2012 reserved its verdict on appeals and cross-appeals in the 1993 Mumbai serial terror bombing case in which 257 people were killed and 713 were injured. 

During the hearing, the bench had for the first time used laptops in the court to peruse the voluminous documents and record of the case and the submissions of various counsel. 

On March 12, 1993, Mumbai was rocked by a series of blasts which also damaged property worth over Rs 27 crore. (PTI)