Nikam not to attend Dutt's bail hearing in SC

By Staff
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Google Oneindia News

Pune, Aug 17 (UNI) Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam here today said he would not be going to New Delhi to oppose the bail plea of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt in connection with the 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts case that will come up for a hearing in the Supreme Court on August 20.

Mr Nikam was talking to mediapersons after the first public felicitation programme organised by an NGO Kamal Vikas headed by BJP Corporator and leader of Opposition in the Pune Municipal Corporation(PMC) Vikas Matkari.

The public prosecutor said he would not be going to New Delhi and when asked whether the defence would take advantage of the fact that copies of the judgement were not given to the accused, Mr Nikam said it was possible that they would benefit from it.

Earlier, while addressing a packed crowd at the Bal Gandharva Rang Mandir, Nikam, making a reference to Dutt, said during the last 13 years, he had striven to ensure that law was the same for the common man and the privileged class.

He pointed out that merely being a great actor or the son and brother of a Member of Parliament does not give Sanjay Dutt a licence to behave irresponsibly and escape with impunity. The message should be clear to society that criminals and criminality would be sternly dealt with and all are same before the law, he said.

Mr Nikam said the country is stable when the people have absolute faith in their economy and the judicial system.

He referred to the reactions of people in the film industry to the judgement. ''There are limitations and therefore no disrepute should be brought to the judicial system. If more freedom of expression has to be allowed and people given the choice to express themselves on judgements, then suitable amendments have to be made, '' he pointed out.

Mr Nikam, however, lamented that the judicial processes were long and tedious. He felt that suitable amendments to the law should be made to ensure a speedy system of punishments.

For instance, many death sentences were still to be carried out as mercy petitions had been filed.''There has to be a time limit wherein the decision must be taken and in such cases the President must act on the advice of the cabinet within a time frame to ensure speedy implementation of justice'', he added.

UNI

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