Mumbai: Sanjay Dutt has been taken back to jail, hours after surrendering at a Mumbai court on Thursday afternoon. He will spend the night at Arthur Road Jail in Mumbai, and is expected to be later moved to Pune's Yerawada Jail to complete his prison term of five years.
Dressed in a white kurta and jeans and with a red tilak on his forehead, the actor came to court accompanied by his wife Maanyata and sister Priya Dutt, a Congress parliamentarian. There was chaos at the court as hundreds of people, including cameramen, crowded his car. The actor was able to get out and make his way into the courtroom only after about 20 minutes and much difficulty. (
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Before arriving in court, Mr Dutt visited the famous Siddhivinayak temple in the city. All through the morning, many members of the film fraternity, which has stood steadfast by the actor, visited him.
The Supreme Court had in March upheld Mr Dutt's conviction in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case for illegal possession of weapons, including an AK 56 rifle. The court reduced a trial court sentence of six years to five years and ordered the actor to serve 42 months in jail. He has already served 18 months 20 years ago, part of it at the Yerawada Jail. (
Case timeline)
The police and jail authorities have promised adequate security for Mr Dutt, who had claimed this week that he had received threats from "fundamentalist groups". The celebrity convict is expected to be lodged in what is known as the "Anda cell" at the Pune jail, which is egg-shaped. Half of it is sunk into the ground and is considered one the most secure cells in the prison.
The court has allowed the actor to get home-made food delivered to him and has agreed to his appeal to be provided with a thin mattress and pillow and medicines for a month. After that, the jail authorities will decide whether these allowances will be continued.
But the court rejected Mr Dutt's request to be allowed to smoke electronic cigarettes in prison. The judge advised him to quit smoking instead.
The 56 days since the Supreme Court upheld his conviction on March 21 have been dramatic. After the verdict, a stunned Dutt appeared with folded hands and bowed head and wept on camera saying he would not appeal against the order.
As the date for his surrender drew closer, however, the actor appealed that he be given six months more to complete his seven films on the floor since it affected the livelihood of many people. The court gave him a month instead to wrap up all work. That month ended today, May 16.