Sanjay Dutt is completing his remaining 42 months of his five year jail term.
Mehmooda Khanam, 72, is bedridden with a heart ailment coupled with asthma. Her last wish is to see her son Shaikh Azizuddin, who is lodged in Pune's Yerwada jail, married. However, unlike film actor Sanjay Dutt, who is also lodged in the same jail, it isn't easy for Azizuddin to secure leave.
While Sanjay Dutt is serving his jail term, Azizuddin has completed his sentence of 14 years after being convicted of murder charges, his family claims. Sanjay Dutt is completing his remaining 42 months of his five year jail term after being convicted under the arms act in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. He has so far been granted leave twice.
In October, Sanjay Dutt had applied for leave for 14 days. He was later granted an extension of two weeks. In his leave application, he had stated that he had to undergo a medical examination and had expressed his wish to spend time with his family. He has again applied for a leave of 30 days citing his wife Maanayata's ill health. But even as the order for Sanjay's leave was signed by Pune's divisional commissioner Prabhakar Deshmukh on Friday, Maanayata's photographs showing her attending two film functions in Mumbai just a day before started flashing on channels, raising questions about her health.
Maanayata's close friends have come to her defence saying that she has a lung tumour and that her operation would take place once Sanjay Dutt arrives.
But lawyers, while claiming that jail officials and even the divisional commissioner use their discretion in granting or rejecting parole or furlough applications, admit that when it comes to the 'high and the mighty', laws are mostly bent. "There has been serious violation by authorities in granting parole to Sanjay Dutt,'' says Y P Singh, former IPS officer.
Mehmooda Khanam younger son Shadab says they had filed many appeals with the jail authorities for the release of his brother, at least for few days when there were medical emergencies in the family but nothing worked. "In the 14 years of his jail term he was released just for five days on three occasions,'' says Mehmooda Khanam.
"He has already spent 14 years but even now we are not sure when my brother will be released. When nobody was replying to my queries I applied under RTI to know about the status as to when my brother would come out of jail and the reply that I got from home department is that the file related to my brother has been burnt in the fire at Mantralaya two years back,'' says Shadab.
Facing questions on Sanjay Dutt's leaves, home minister R R Patil has said he will find out what exactly happened in the parole case.