The Apex Court is expected to hear a bail petition by Sanjay Dutt, jailed for six years for taking guns from gangsters involved in the 1993 serial blasts.
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court is expected to hear a bail petition by Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt on Tuesday, jailed for six years for taking guns from gangsters involved in the 1993 serial blasts in Mumbai.
The actor was convicted for taking an AK-56 rifle and a pistol from gangsters linked to the bombings in which 257 people were killed in the financial capital.
He challenged the conviction late last month and sought bail until the petition was heard.
His lawyers said they were confident the 48-year-old actor would get bail, allowing him to remain free for a while as the petition could take months, if not years, to be heard.
Dutt wanted an early bail hearing and had been hoping he could be out of jail before Diwali, which was celebrated earlier this month.
However, the court posted his petition to be heard along with other convicts in the case.
Dutt's appeal says his conviction by a special anti-terrorism court was based on a confession he later retracted. It said the confession was obtained under duress.
The petition, which says the actor should be given bail because there was no chance of him fleeing, also urges that he be released on probation because he was a first-time offender whose actions had not harmed anyone.
A special Mumbai court sentenced Dutt in August. But he got bail from the Supreme Court after spending 24 days in jail until he was served a copy of the judgement so he could challenge it.
He went back to jail in the western city of Pune after getting a copy of the more than 4,300-page judgement last month.
Dutt has said he acquired the weapons to protect his family during communal riots in 1993.
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