Sanjay Dutt emerges from Yerawada jail for check-up

Bollywood actor and star prisoner of Yerawada Central Jail Sanjay Dutt emerged from prison for the first time in more than two months for a visit to a hospital, official sources said Saturday.

Dutt was taken under tight security to the Sassoon Hospital, where he underwent a full general medical check-up by a team of four doctors.

Unofficial reports claimed that Dutt was had been ailing, but jail authorities and hospital officials remained tight-lipped about the details of the actor's medical check-up, which lasted around three hours.

Dutt returned to prison after the hospital visit.

This was the first time Dutt was emerging from the famous Yerawada Central Jail in over two months after his surrender before a Mumbai Special Court May 16 to serve the remainder of his sentence after his conviction in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

On May 22, he was shifted out of Mumbai's Arthur Road Central Jail and whisked off to Yerawada Central Jail to serve the sentence that remained.

During his hearing before the Special TADA Court, Dutt had sought home-cooked food, medicines and other facilities, which he was permitted for a month.

However, the Yerawada jail authorities objected to these privileges, citing the jail manual, since Dutt was serving time in prison as a convict, and was not an undertrial.

Subsequently, Dutt was taught to make paper bags, a tedious indoor chore, that security personnel thought would be best for his safety. He is paid around Rs.25 each day for the bags.