Sanjay Dutt finally free of terror charges
By IANSTuesday, March 9, 2010
NEW DELHI - Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt can finally heave a sigh of relief as his acquittal from terror charges for his alleged role in the 1993 Mumbai serial terror bombing has gone unchallenged in the Supreme Court.
Dutt’s name did not figure among the 50 other accused whose acquittal by a Mumbai anti-terror court in 2007 has been challenged by the CBI.
The fact that CBI has decided to let Dutt’s acquittal from the terror charges go unchallenged become clear as a bunch of 50 lawsuits, challenging the acquittal of the accused from the terror charges in the 1993 serial bombing case came up for hearing before a bench of Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan, Justice R.M. Lodha and Justice B.S. Chauhan.
None of the 50 lawsuits pertained to an appeal against Dutt’s acquittal.
Though the actor was acquitted of terror charges, he was convicted and awarded a six year-long jail term for possessing illegal weapons in the run up to the 1993 serial terror bombing of the metropolis.
Dutt has already moved the apex court challenging his conviction in the case and is currently out on bail.
The CBI has decided to let Dutt’s acquittal remain unchallenged despite the fact that it had earlier opposed tooth and nail the film’ star’s plea to suspend his conviction in the Arms Act case to enable him fight the 2009 general elections.
The apex court bench eventually adjourned the hearing on all 50 lawsuits, challenging acquittal of as many other accused in the Mumbai blast case as the Solicitor General Gopal Subramaniam failed to appear in the court.
