Twitter
Advertisement

Sanjay Dutt does not vote as convicts barred from polling

Latest News
article-main
File pic of Sanjay Dutt with Priya prior to his return to Yerawada jail
FacebookTwitterWhatsappLinkedin

Actor Sanjay Dutt, who is serving a jail sentence for illegal possession of weapons, has not been allowed to cast his vote in the general elections as the law denies those in custody the right to exercise their franchise.

Dutt's sister Priya is a Congress member of Parliament seeking re-election from the Mumbai North Central constituency and had campaigned for her briefly in the past election.

The actor has been in Yerawada Central Jail, Pune since May last year, after he was convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial bombings and his conviction was confirmed by the Supreme Court.

He had served 18 months in jail before his conviction, he returned to jail to serve the remaining 42 months of the five-year-sentence.

Polling in Pune was held on April 17 and in Mumbai on Thursday.

"Section 62 of The Representation of the People Act, 1951, which talks about the right to vote, states in sub-section 5 that no person shall vote in any elections if he/she is confined in prison under a sentence of imprisonment or transportation or otherwise, or is in the lawful custody of the police. This means that even undertrials cannot cast their vote," said SK Jain, a noted lawyer.

In 2013, a new amendment was made to this sub-section stating that a person who is enrolled in the electoral roll, but is confined to prison or in lawful custody, will continue to be an elector notwithstanding the prohibition to vote, Jain explained.

So, Dutt's name would continue to remain on the voter's list and he would be allowed to vote after he is released from jail.

Yogesh Desai, superintendent of police (prisons), said according to the law, convicts were not allowed to vote and Dutt did not even make a request for it.

Dutt was released on parole some time ago to attend to his ailingwife Manyata and returned to jail in March. It is said he writes letters from jail to his wife daily and also sent his good wishes to sister Priya for the success of her election campaign.

"In one of his letters to his wife, Dutt inquired about Priya's campaign and asked Manyata to extend his best wishes to her," said sources at Yerawada jail. Letters to and from prisoners are checked by the jail authorities.

In 2004, there were signs of rift within the family when the filmstar campaigned for the Samajwadi party. Then, in 2008 it seemed that sisters Priya and Namrata were unhappy over his marriage to Manyata. But they have stood by him after his conviction.

Find your daily dose of news & explainers in your WhatsApp. Stay updated, Stay informed-  Follow DNA on WhatsApp.
Advertisement

Live tv

Advertisement
Advertisement