The Bombay High Court has questioned the Maharashtra Government about Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt’s early release from jail.
According to an IANS report, a division bench consisting of Justice RM Sawant and Justice Sadhna Jadhav, has asked the government to file an affidavit explaining their decision. The report states that the Vaastav actor was released eight months early, and the procedures followed seemed to hint at lenient treatment.
The 57-year-old actor was convicted and sentenced to jail for illegal possession of fire arms in relation to the March 1993 Bombay serial blasts case. The actor, who was serving time in Yerwada Central Jail, Pune, was released on February 25, 2016.
Recommended
A PIL filed by Pune-based activist Pradeep Bhalekar, has challenged the government’s decision, and also includes the paroles granted during Dutt’s jail term.
The court, addressing the PIL, wanted to know if the Deputy Inspector General, Prisons and the Jail Superintendent were consulted or if the recommendations were sent to the Governor of Maharashtra directly.
“How did the authorities assess that Dutt’s conduct was good? When did they get time to make such an assessment when he was out on parole half the time?” asked Justice Sawant.
The hearing on the matter has been scheduled for next week.