After four weeks' parole, Sanjay Dutt to return to jail

Convicted Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt will return to Yerawada Central Jail here Wednesday at the end of his four-week-long medical parole, officials said here Tuesday.

The actor was released on a fortnight-long medical parole from the high-security prison Oct 1 where he is serving the remainder of his 42-month-long sentence.

Later, he sought and was granted another fortnight's extension which ends Wednesday. Now, he would be required to return to the jail by Wednesday evening, an official said.

Accordingly, this year, Dutt will spend the Diwali festival in the jail with other inmates.

Since his release on parole, there has been widespread speculation that he may be granted remission of sentence or a pardon.

However, last Friday, Maharashtra Home Minister R.R. Patil sought to scotch all such rumours and said he has not received any communication from the central government to this effect.

Besides, Patil pointed out that even the actor's family members, who include his sister and Congress MP Priya Dutt, have not made any such request.

The state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party has already expressed its strong opposition to any proposal to grant pardon to the actor as it could send wrong signal in society and encourage other convicts to seek pardon.

Dutt was sentenced to five years' jail for illegal possession of firearms from one of the consignments that landed ahead of the March 12, 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai.

Since May 16 this year, he is serving the remaining 42 months of his term at YCJ, making paper bags which are sold outside through NGOs.