New Delhi: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt said he still believed in the judiciary and is looking at legal options after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction and sentenced him to five years in jail for illegal arms possession during the 1993 serial Mumbai blasts.
"I will see the copy. I am looking at legal options," Dutt said in his first reaction to IBN7 after the verdict.
"I still believe in the judiciary, my family is with me and I am still strong," he said.
Calling it a "massive blow", Bollywood fraternity expressed sadness and shock. The 53-year-old has already served 18 months of his term and will now have to spend three and a half years in jail. The court has given the actor four weeks time to surrender.
The fate of three big budget films is riding on Dutt with 'Zanjeer' remake, 'Policegiri' and Rajkumar Hirani's 'Peekay', currently under production. Dutt was also slated to reprise his role of a lovable goon in Hirani's third Munnabhai film, whose future remains unclear now.
Director-producer Karan Johar, who has signed Dutt in his upcoming film 'Ungli', said, "I am truly shattered to hear of Sanju's sentence... the nicest guy I have known just doesn't deserve this... My heart goes out to him." Director Subhash Kapoor, who was recently signed on to shoot the third 'Munnabhai film, said he was surprised by the judgement.
Eminent criminal lawyer Majid Memon, who defended many of the accused in the 1993 blasts, said there is only a "narrow" window open for the actor to seek relief.
"He has only a narrow window of approaching a larger bench or file a review petition but in that case also, I am afraid that unless the stay is granted on today's order, he will have to walk into the prison," Memon told reporters after the verdict.
Describing the sentence as "unfortunate", Memon said since the actor had already undergone 18 months' imprisonment, he was expecting that the apex court, after examining evidence against him and taking into account facts and circumstances singularly applicable to Dutt, could give him the "benefit
of sentence undergone".
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