Supreme Court defers Sanjay Dutt's bail plea

New Delhi, Nov 2: The Supreme Court today deferred the hearing of the bail plea petition of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, who has been sentenced to six years of rigorous imprisonment by a TADA Court under the Arms Act.

The apex court fixed November 20 as the next date for hearing. Now, Dutt will celebrate his Diwali in Yerawada Jail in Pune, where he is presently lodged.

Dutt had approached the apex court following his conviction for illegally keeping arms - an AK 56 rifle and a pistol, relating to the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.

Dutt"s lawyer argued that the apex court should grant him bail on the ground of his conduct, and that he has never broken the law in the past one decade since he was first granted bail in connection with the case.

Two months earlier, Dutt had received an interim bail from the apex court as he had not received a copy of his judgement.

Dutt, surrendered before the TADA court last week after he received a copy of the special court's judgement

He had spent 22 days at the same jail in August, before he received the interim bail by the Supreme Court on August 20.

Dutt has already spent nearly 16 months in prison before his release on bail in 1996. ANI
>