Thursday, March 21, 2013

'SANJAY DUTT WILL GO TO JAIL AGAIN!'

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt to serve a five year jail sentence in the 1993 Mumbai blasts. The apex court also dismissed the appeal of blast mastermind Yakub Memon and upheld his death sentence. Memon is prime accused Tiger Memon’s brother.

12:30 pm: Grateful to SC for reducing sentence: Dutt’s lawyer

Sanjay Dutt’s lawyer Satish Maneshinde said he was grateful to the Supreme Court for reducing Dutt’s sentence. “We respect the SC order, we will go by whatever the court directs us to go through.”

“Whatever be the judgement, we will go through it.”

When asked whether he would appeal against the order, Maneshinde said he could not comment until he got a copy of the order.

11: 47 am: SC sentences Sanjay Dutt to five years in jail

The Supreme Court on Thursday ordered Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt to serve a five year jail sentence for his role in the 1993 Mumbai blasts.  Dutt had already served a jail sentence of a year-and-a-half.

The Supreme Court has given Dutt and the other accused who are on bail a period of one month to surrender. Dutt will spend a period of three years and six months in jail.

Earlier, a TADA court had sentenced Sanjay Dutt to six years in jail. The Supreme Court reduced the TADA court order and awarded him to serve a sentence of five years, the minimum sentence under the Arms Act.

Sanjay Dutt was found in possession of weapons at his residence.

Sanjay Dutt, however, can file a review petition before the Supreme Court.

Dutt’s sister Priya Dutt was in court while the sentence was pronounced.

11: 42 am: Life sentence of Rehman Azimulla reduced to 10 years

Life sentence of Ashrafur Rehman Azimulla has been reduced to 10 years while that of Imtiyaz Yunusmiya Ghavte to jail term already undergone.

SC upholds life sentence of 16 out of 18 convicts sentenced by TADA court.

11:38 am: Death sentence of blast mastermind Yakub Memon upheld

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the death sentence of blast mastermind Yakub Memon, prime accused Tiger Memon’s brother.

The apex court in its ruling reportedly said there is no doubt that Memon played a huge role in the 1993 serial blasts.

Police, customs and coastal guards are also to be blamed for 1993 blasts: SC.

The Supreme Court reduced the death sentence of 10 other accused to life imprisonment considering the fact that they have spent 20 years in jail. It also ruled that life term convicts will remain in jail till their death.

Condemning the role of Pakistan in the blasts, the SC reportedly said: It is clear that ISI training was given to the accused in Islamabad. Confessions of terrorists reveal ISI encouraged terrorism.

“They (accused) had a green channel entrance and exit in Pakistan. No immigration procedures were followed.”

Yakub Memon and all absconding accused (Dawood Ibrahim and others) were “archers” and rest of the accused were “arrows” in their hands.

11: 30 am: SC will pronounce order on ’93 Mumbai blasts

The Supreme Court will pronounce its order on the 1993 Mumbai blasts today. In the multiple blasts across Mumbai, 257 were killed and 713 were injured.

The apex court will pronounce its verdict on the 124 cross appeals by those convicted by a special court for the 1993 Bombay serial bomb blasts, including film star Sanjay Dutt, as well as by the Maharashtra government challenging some acquittals and seeking enhanced sentences for other guilty.

A bench of Justice P Sathasivam and Justice BS Chauhan had heard the spate of cross petitions by the convicts and the state of Maharashtra over ten months. The hearing that commenced on 1 November, 2011, concluded on 29 August, 2012.

The court dealing with the then Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act had convicted and sentenced 12 accused to death, 20 to life imprisonment, and 46 others, including Sanjay Dutt, were given varying terms of imprisonments.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) had faced flak for not challenging the TADA court verdict acquitting Sanjay Dutt of charges under the TADA but convicting him under the Arms Act and sentencing him to six years imprisonment. However, in the course of the hearing of his appeal, the CBI had opposed the actor’s plea challenging his conviction and sentencing.

A series of 13 car bomb blasts had ripped through Mumbai on March 12, 1993, resulting in the death of 257 people and injuries to 713. The locations that were targeted included fisherman’s colony in Mahim Causeway, Zaveri Bazaar, Plaza Cinema, Century Bazaar, Katha Bazaar, Hotel Sea Rock, Sahar Airport, Air India building, Hotel Juhu Centaur, the Bombay Stock Exchange Building and the Passport Office.

The TADA court trial court of Justice P.D. Kode had commenced the trial Nov 4, 1993, and pronounced its 4,230-page verdict on July 31, 2007.

On the other hand, Actor Sanjay Dutt’s conviction was upheld by the Supreme Court today. The actor had previously been sentenced to six years in jail. However, the apex court has reduced his sentence from six years to five. Sanjay has not been granted any probation and will have to spend three years and six months of his remaining jail time in prison, given that has already served 18 months of his sentence. Here is a timeline of Sanjay Dutt’s case.

Aug 29, 2012: After a marathon ten-month-long hearing, the Supreme Court reserved its verdict on a number of appeals and cross-appeals in the 1993 Mumbai serial terror bombing case in which 257 people were killed and 713 others were injured.

Sanjay Dutt was facing charges for illegal possession of weapons under the arms act.

Appearing for the actor, senior counsel Harish Salve told the apex court bench of Justice P Sathasivam and Justice BS Chauhan that Sanjay Dutt came to possess the weapons in question in September 1992 when his father Sunil Dutt and sisters were facing threats, as the senior Dutt’s help to Muslim victims during the Mumbai riots had angered powerful people.

He also told the Supreme Court that his offense of possessing a rifle and ammunition was not linked to the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts.

27 November 2007: Sanjay Dutt was granted bail by the Supreme Court.

22 October 2007: Dutt was back in jail but again applied for bail.

23 August, 2007: Sanjay Dutt was released from jail.

20 August 2007: Supreme Court of India granted Dutt interim bail. He was released after the Yerwada Central Jail authorities received a copy of the court’s bail order. The bail was deemed to be valid until the special TADA court, which sentenced Dutt on 31 July, provided a copy of its judgment to him.

7 August 2007: Sanjay Dutt appealed against the sentence.

2 August 2007: Sanjay Dutt was moved from Arthur Road jail in Mumbai to the Yerwada Central Jail in Pune.

31 July 2007: Sanjay Dutt was sentenced to six years rigorous imprisonment for illegally possessing weapons. However, he was also “cleared of terrorism conspiracy charges in the blasts” related to the 1993 bombings. Sanjay Dutt was immediately taken into custody and lodged in the Arthur Road jail.

March 2006: When framing murder charges against extradited Abu Salem and co-accused Riyaz Siddiqui in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case, the prosecution said that Salem delivered 9 AK-56 rifles and some hand grenades to Dutt at his Bandra house in the second week of January 1993.

2006: The case opened for sentencing for all the 189 accused.

April 1997: Sanjay was released once again on police bail terms.

December 1995: Sanjay Dutt was rearrested after being granted bail in October.

November 1993: A 90,000 page primary chargesheet was filed against the 189 accused in the 1993 Mumbai bomb blasts case which included Sanjay Dutt’s name as well.

19 April 1993: Due to terrorist interactions, and illegal weapons possession, Sanjay was arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA). He spent 16 months in jail until he was granted bail in October 1995.

12 March, 1993: A series of 13 bomb explosions took place in Mumbai, Maharashtra, killing 250 people and injuring 700. The attacks were coordinated by Dawood Ibrahim and Tiger Memon.

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