TADA Court extends Sanjay Dutt's bail to Feb 6

Mumbai, Jan 18: The Special TADA court at Mumbai today extendedthe time period for Sanjay Dutt to surrender upto February 6.

Designated TADA Judge Pramod Kode will hear arguments on SanjayDutt's applications under Probation of Offenders Act on the same date.

While Dutt was escorted by his daughter Trishala upto the court gate,he walked in his usual faded blue jeans and a stripped blue shirtdonning a tilak on his forehead. Though he tried to look relaxed,anxiety was writ large in his eyes. Senior Counsel V R Manohar,representing Dutt, along with a battery of lawyers which included acecriminal advocate Satish Maneshinde, Surinder Singh and Karan Singh,today told the court that Dutt was mainly convicted for an offence thatwas not punishable by death or life imprisonment. Also, he and hisfamily members were engaged in various social activities, they added.

As per Section 4 of the Probation of Offenders Act, benefit can beextended to an offender displaying good conduct by releasing him if hewas not convicted with death or life imprisonment, after consideringthe circumstances of the case, nature of offence and character of theoffender, Advocate Manohar submitted.

''Considering the fact that Dutt has been convicted under sections25 1-A and B (a) of the Arms Act, the minimum sentence he can beawarded is five years, which can be extended up to 10 years withfine,'' he explained.

''It is the discretionary power of the Court to grant probationleave to an accused and the exercise of such power was not whimsicalbut based on provisions of the law. If an offender satisfied therequirements of the relevant provisions of the Probation of OffendersAct, it would be the court's discretion whether to entitle theapplicant for the said relief or not,'' he added.

UNI