SC won't take up Dutt's bail plea on Friday

NEW DELHI: Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, convicted for six years in the Mumbai blasts, will have to wait to get his bail plea heard by the apex court which on Thursday clarified that it would not take it up on Friday.

A bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan made it clear that the apex court had only listed the matter to be "mentioned" on Friday and only after that a date would be formally fixed for hearing the actor's bail application.

The clarification came after Senior Counsel Fali S Nariman, appearing for Dutt, complained that the matter was not being listed for hearing on Friday despite a direction from the court.

However, immediately, the Chief Justice clarified that the apex court had only issued directions that the matter be listed for a formal "mentioning" on Friday, so that it could be placed before an appropriate bench for hearing.

On Thursday, Nariman had made a special mention of Dutt's bail application before a Bench headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, seeking an urgent hearing on the matter.

Though the apex court listed the matter for a formal mentioning on Friday, it was widely construed that the bail application would be taken up for hearing on Friday.

 As per the practice in the Supreme Court and High Courts, a counsel can make a oral mention of a matter of perceived urgency for early hearing.