Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt ordered to prison for gun possession
By Harmeet Shah Singh, CNN
March 22, 2013 -- Updated 0645 GMT (1445 HKT)
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- India's top court sentences Sanjay Dutt to five years in prison
- It upheld his conviction on weapons charges related to bombings in Mumbai in 1993
- In 2006, Dutt was convicted of illegally possessing an AK-56 rifle and a 9 mm pistol
- In his defense, the actor has said the weapons were meant to protect his family
New Delhi (CNN) -- India's top court Thursday sentenced a leading Bollywood star, Sanjay Dutt, to five years in prison in connection with bomb attacks in Mumbai in 1993.
The supreme court in New Delhi upheld his conviction on charges of possessing illegal weapons tied to the bombings, which killed 257 people and wounded hundreds more.
He has four weeks to surrender, said his lawyer, Satish Maneshinde.
In 2006, Dutt was convicted of illegally possessing an AK-56 rifle and a 9 mm pistol under India's Arms Act. He was cleared of a more serious accusation of conspiracy in the attacks. Dutt was later sentenced to six years in prison.
He served 18 months in jail before he was granted bail.
"We will await a copy of the judgment of the supreme court. ... Once that is available, we'll advise Sanjay Dutt as to how to go about (this). And it is unfortunate that this has happened," Maneshinde said after Thursday's verdict.
He said his client would abide by the ruling.
"He will have to serve another 3½ years, (which are left after having spent 18 months in jail already)" Maneshinde added.
Dutt's case involves the country's deadliest string of attacks, which were believed to have been carried out by a local underworld in revenge for the demolition of a 16th-century mosque in northern India by Hindu nationalists. The mosque's destruction unleashed a wave of violence that left hundreds dead.
In his defense, the actor has said the weapons were meant to protect his family.
An immensely popular Bollywood celebrity, Dutt is son of a star couple: the late actors Sunil and Nargis Dutt.
His sister, Priya Dutt, is a member of India's parliament.
Sanjay Dutt's biggest hits included the two funny Munnabhai films, in which he played a reformed goon and an advocate of Mahatma Gandhi's principles of nonviolence.
In its ruling Thursday, the supreme court also upheld the death sentence of one of the main convicts in the case. Ten other people on death row had their sentences commuted to life in jail, a defense lawyer, Sriprakash Sinha, told reporters.
Part of complete coverage on
June 20, 2013 -- Updated 1048 GMT (1848 HKT)
With only a 90-day Hong Kong visa, time is quickly running out for Edward Snowden, the NSA contractor who leaked details of U.S. surveillance programs.
June 20, 2013 -- Updated 1059 GMT (1859 HKT)
A documentary on the ill-fated TWA Flight 800, killing 230, claims to offer "solid proof that there was an external detonation."
June 20, 2013 -- Updated 1129 GMT (1929 HKT)
Phil Black reports why Russia's economy is slowing down and what economists say should to be done to get it moving.
June 19, 2013 -- Updated 1913 GMT (0313 HKT)
U.S. agents watch in horror as an unknown man in an internet photo appeals for stomach-churning advice -- how to rape the child beside him.
June 20, 2013 -- Updated 0909 GMT (1709 HKT)
From Cape Desolation to Lake Disappointment and Woolloomooloo, Australia is no stranger to bleak, odd or evocative place names.
June 19, 2013 -- Updated 1231 GMT (2031 HKT)
In soccer-mad Brazil, the World Cup, Confederations Cup and FIFA have become symbols of corruption and waste.
June 20, 2013 -- Updated 1040 GMT (1840 HKT)
James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano was a bully, a lover, and a superstar. And thanks to scripts crafted by David Chase he was also, at times, prophetic.
June 19, 2013 -- Updated 0059 GMT (0859 HKT)
A man who silently stood in Taksim Square and stared at a portrait of the founder of the modern Turkish state, drew hundreds to his vigil.
June 19, 2013 -- Updated 1726 GMT (0126 HKT)
As Afghan forces formally take over security of the country, what is likely to be on the table when the U.S. and the Taliban meet for talks?
June 19, 2013 -- Updated 0854 GMT (1654 HKT)
North Korea's recent belligerence has many in China, its lone ally, saying enough is enough. But would Beijing really cut Kim Jong Un off?
June 19, 2013 -- Updated 1047 GMT (1847 HKT)
Whether you have a vague fear of Big Brother or a desire to keep your bank information private, there are ways of securing your data.
Among the intriguing pieces of history in Chinese coastal province Fujian are the tulou: large, round, rammed-earth buildings dating back centuries.
June 18, 2013 -- Updated 1539 GMT (2339 HKT)
NYU did a great favor not only for the Chinese dissident but also for both the U.S. and Chinese governments, writes James Millward.
June 19, 2013 -- Updated 1111 GMT (1911 HKT)
Tired of seeing developed nations take the lion's share of profits from his country's coffee crop, a Ugandan businessman decided on a new plan.
June 19, 2013 -- Updated 1322 GMT (2122 HKT)
There's a new menace lurking in the streets of London -- exploding sidewalks, which have injured at least 5 people.
Today's five most popular stories
© 2013 Cable News Network. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. All Rights Reserved.
|