Sanjay Dutt jailed for six years
Wednesday, 1 August 2007
NEW DELHI, July 3 (Internet) : Bollywood's most celebrated action hero, Sanjay Dutt, was jailed for six years today for illegally possessing weapons obtained through underworld gangsters connected with the 1993 terrorist bombings in Mumbai which killed 257 people.
The sentence, which left his family and millions of fans in deep shock, was described by commentators as a "body blow" to India's film industry which has long laboured under allegations of links to the criminal underworld.
Dutt (48) whose hulking figure was seen to tremble in the dock as the sentence was handed down, had been expected to receive lenient treatment having already served 18 months in jail following his arrest in 1993.
"Pray for me," Dutt said after hearing the sentence, apparently on the verge of tears.
"I made a mistake 14 years ago, give me some time to surrender [to the prison authorities]", he said to the court.
However the judge, Pramode Kode, said that Dutt deserved no special treatment after deciding to accept an AK56 rifle and a 9mm pistol from criminal associates, an act described as "eminently dangerous".
The sentence, which left his family and millions of fans in deep shock, was described by commentators as a "body blow" to India's film industry which has long laboured under allegations of links to the criminal underworld.
Dutt (48) whose hulking figure was seen to tremble in the dock as the sentence was handed down, had been expected to receive lenient treatment having already served 18 months in jail following his arrest in 1993.
"Pray for me," Dutt said after hearing the sentence, apparently on the verge of tears.
"I made a mistake 14 years ago, give me some time to surrender [to the prison authorities]", he said to the court.
However the judge, Pramode Kode, said that Dutt deserved no special treatment after deciding to accept an AK56 rifle and a 9mm pistol from criminal associates, an act described as "eminently dangerous".