Sanjay Dutt has to serve jail term, rules apex court

Barring any last minute reprieve, Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt will have to surrender before Mumbai jail authorities on May 16 to serve his remaining 42 months sentence with the Supreme Court on Friday rejecting his plea for reviewing his conviction and five-year prison term in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. In Mumbai, top lawyers involved in the case said the 53-year-old actor had no option but to surrender and start serving his term before seeking any relief. They said the apex court's ruling was "expected" and a "foregone conclusion".

An apex court Bench of justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan, which had delivered its judgment on March 21, refused to review its verdict on Dutt's plea. Dutt, who was granted four weeks more time to surrender to undergo remaining three-and-a-half-year jail term, will now have to present himself before jail authorities on May 16. The actor has got only one judicial option of getting relief from the court by filing a curative petition. He can also get relief if petitions for his pardon are accepted by Maharashtra Governor.