Sanjay Dutt gets fortnight's parole on medical grounds

Incarcerated Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt secured a two-week parole from Yerawada Central Jail (YCJ) on medical grounds, official sources confirmed here Tuesday.

Dutt, 53, had sought a month's parole in mid-August to get medical treatment for certain unspecified illnesses that he has been suffering from. But his plea was rejected.

A parole is a conditional release of a prisoner for a limited period for a specific purpose and is strictly governed under the Indian jail laws.

"It does not imply commutation of the sentence or amnesty and is purely decided as per individual cases, at the discretion of the concerned authorities," eminent criminal lawyer J.P. Mishra told IANS.

Currently serving a 42-month sentence for his role in the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, Dutt left Pune for Mumbai, where he reached Tuesday afternoon.

Dutt's parole came after his application was forwarded to the Pune divisional commissioner, followed by a detailed report on his condition from the police.

While on parole, Dutt's conduct and movement are also likely to be monitored, Mishra said.

Dutt was convicted by a Special TADA Court for illegal possession of a pistol and an AK-47 military assault rifle during the March 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.

In March this year, the Supreme Court upheld his conviction under the Arms Act and reduced his sentence from six years, awarded by a lower court, to five years.

He had already served one-and-a-half years behind bars as an undertrial and returned to jail May 16, 2013 to serve the remaining 42 months behind bars.

Later, on security grounds he was shifted to YCJ, Pune where he had been lodged since the past over four months.

Last week, he was scheduled to sing and dance in a jail inmates welfare programme. However, it was cancelled at the last minute after pictures of jail officials posing with Dutt became public.