New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday sentenced Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt for 5 years in prison in connection with the 1993 Mumbai blast that claimed 257 lives. He has already served 18 months in prison and he will now have to serve the remaining three and a half years in jail. He was earlier sentenced to six years in prison which the Supreme Court reduced to five years. Court gives him four weeks to surrender. Dutt and his lawyers had expected a very lenient sentence, but that did not happen. His lawyer said the next course of action would be decided after the judgment copy is studied in detail. The case pertains to the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts in which 100 people were convicted out of which 12 were awarded death penalty and 20 were given life sentence by a Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court. Sanjay Dutt was one amongst them. The court upheld the death sentence of blast accused Yakub Memon. He is at present lodged in the Nagpur jail. The court commuted the death sentence on 10 others to life imprisonment. The court took the view that the economic condition of the convicts was weak. Earlier, Dutt was sentenced to a jail term of six years for illegal possession of firearms acquired from terrorist acquaintances, who were responsible for the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts on July 31, 2007. He was granted bail by the apex court on November 27, 2007. A total of 257 persons were killed and 713 others injured when a series 13 coordinated explosions shattered the metropolis on March 12, 1993. The blasts occurred at 12 places including Bombay Stock Exchange building, Air-India Building at Nariman Point, at Worli opposite Century Bazaar, Hotels Sea Rock and Juhu Centaur. Dawood Ibrahim, Tiger Memon and his brother Ayub Memon were alleged to be the main conspirators of the blasts and they were declared as proclaimed offenders. Here is a timeline on the case: April 19, 1993: Sanjay Dutt is picked up by the Mumbai Crime Branch from airport after his arrival from Mauritius. He is arrested on the same day on charges of possessing an AK-56 rifle, a 9mm pistol and some ammunition and later destroying them. April 28, 1993: Sanjay makes confession before police. May 5, 1993: He is granted interim bail by the Bombay High Court subject to confirmation by the trial court. Nov 4, 1993: Chargesheet filed against Sanjay. July 4, 1994: Trial court cancels Sanjay's bail and he is arrested again. Nov 20, 1994: Sanjay retracts from his confession. July 22, 1995: Sanjay permitted by court to meet his model friend Rhea Pillai whom he later married. Sanjay visits Rhea in a flat where she is recuperating from an illness. Sep 11, 1995: Trial court rejects Sanjay's bail. Oct 16, 1995: Supreme Court grants him bail on hearing a letter written by him to the Chief Justice from jail. The letter was converted into a petition. 2001: Actor faces 396 queries from the court over four days. Over questions concerning AK-56 rifle, Dutt replied: -"I had no connection with any such event-". He even denied having met Salem and others. 2002: The Mumbai police tapped alleged Dutt's conversation with gangster Chhota Shakeel. The conversation has references to the actor having bought a T-shirt for him from Dubai. August 2002: Shiv Sena-BJP combine in Maharashtra created a furore in the State legislature over the Bollywood star's alleged taped conversation with underworld don Chhota Shakeel. March 7, 2003: Dutt informs the court that he did not know about Pakistan-based gangster Chhota Shakeel. June 2, 2003: Court exempts Dutt from personal appearance till June-end, stating he has gone abroad for stage shows with the court's permission. Nov. 27, 2006: TADA court delivering verdict in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case summons Dutt on November 28. Nov. 28, 2006: Dutt is found guilty under Arms Act but is acquitted in all cases related to TADA.
