New Delhi:
The Supreme Court will begin its final hearing on Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt's appeal against his conviction in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case today.
Mr Dutt was convicted in July 2007 for the illegal possession of a 9 mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle but was acquitted of more serious charges under the now defunct Terrorist and Disruptive Activities Act (TADA) law and was sentenced to six years jail term. He had spent 16 months in jail after his arrest in 1993.
In August 2007, Mr Dutt moved the Supreme Court challenging his conviction, and sought bail.
In his appeal, Mr Dutt said that he was in possession of a 9 mm pistol from September 1992. He said no arms or ammunition were recovered from him or his residence or at his instance.
Mr Dutt said that there was no credible evidence against him and the prosecution failed to discharge the burden cast upon it. He also said that the procedure adopted by the trial court was in utter violation of the Criminal Procedure Code and Article 21 of the Constitution (right to life and liberty).
The Bollywood actor said that his conviction was entirely based on inadmissible evidence, and as such, the judgment rendered by the trial court was erroneous in law and consequently unsustainable.
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) did not appeal in the Supreme Court against Mr Dutt's acquittal under TADA. In November 2007, the Supreme Court granted bail to Mr Dutt. The court has also been granting conditional permission to Mr Dutt to go abroad for film shoots.
The Mumbai blasts took place on March 12, 1993 and left 257 dead and 713 injured. Property worth Rs 27 crore was lost. 123 accused were tried by the CBI - 100 of them were convicted and the rest acquitted by the TADA court in Mumbai.