Sanjay Dutt seeks more time to surrender

Mumbai, Dec 18: A day before expiry of the deadline set by TADA court for film star Sanjay Dutt to surrender following his conviction in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case, the actor today moved the court for extending it till an unspecified period.

The application seeking extension has been listed for hearing tomorrow and Dutt is expected to be present in the court of designated judge Pramod Kode, who had pronounced him guilty under the Arms Act on November 30. He faces upto 10 years imprsionment.

Although the application did not mention the period for which the actor has sought extension, yet it tantamounts to seeking time till the court has heard arguments on the quantum of punishment and passed punishment orders in respect of all those listed before him in the chargesheet.

Defence, till today, have completed arguments in respect of only 35 of the total 100 convicts. After the defence completes arguments in respect of the remaining 65 convicts, the prosecution will field arguments in respect of all the 100 convicts.

After the completion of this second phase of the serial verdict in the serial bomb blasts which killed 257 people and wounded another 713, the court will start pronouncing detail punishment orders for each of the 100 convicts.

Sanjay Dutt was listed as accused number 117 in the chargesheet filed against a total of 123 accused.

Legal sources said it could take a few more months for the judge to pronounce punishment in respect of the actor.

The court took 84 days to deliver verdict in respect of all the 123 accused, 23 of whom were acquitted. It has taken two weeks to record the statements of 35 convicts so far.

The application moved by Dutt's counsel Farhana Shah sought time to surrender on the ground that his daughter Trishla is coming from United States to spend her Christmas vacation with him. Trishla is from the actor's first wife Richa Sharma, who had died of cancer in the US. The actor sought time also on the plea that he has to complete schedule of shooting for various movies he is performing. He said he has also to look after the affairs of various estates of his father Sunil Dutt.

The senior Dutt had passed away as a Union Minister a year and a half ago.

The defence said the court has so far recorded statements for deterimining quantum of sentence in respect of only 35 convicts and will take time to record statements of the remaining 65 convicts.

This will be followed by arguments by the prosecution and once this was completed, the court would start pronouncing detailed punishment orders in respect of each of the 100 convicts and hence, the application sought time till Dutt's turn came for hearing the punishment order.

It further said Dutt has not been convicted under the Terrorists and Disruptive Activities ( Prevention ) Act.

The TADA court had indeed cleared him of terror charges but convicted him for possessing a 9 mm pistol and a prohibited weapon of AK-56 rifle in a notified area, offences under section 3 and 7 of the Arms Act. The minimum and maximum sentence under section 7 of the Act is five and ten years respectively.

The judge, on December 15, had extended the surrender deadline in respect of four other convicts, including two friends of the actor.

Yusuf Nalwalla and Kersi Adejania, friends of Dutt, and Zebunisa Kazi and Mubeena Bhiwandiwala were given time till December 21 to give themselves up on humantarian grounds.

Nalwala and Adejania were convicted on the charge of helping the actor in destroying AK-56 rifle. Kazi was found guilty of accepting weapons transported from the residence of Dutt to her house by a co-accused, while Mubeena was convicted on the charge of holding conspiracy meetings at her house.

UNI