Pressure grows for pardon to Dutt

According to the lawyers defending him, Sanjay Dutt has two options before him. One is to go in for a review petition before the Supreme Court and the other is to seek pardon from the Maharashtra Governor. Venkat Parsa New Delhi: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Samajwaadi Party leader Jaya Bachchan have joined the chorus started by Press Council of India Chairman Justice Markandeya Katju, seeking the Maharashtra Governor's pardon to film star Sanjay Dutt, convicted in Mumbai blasts case. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld Sanjay Dutt's conviction but reduced his jail term from six years to five years and ordered that he has to undergo three-and-a-half years jail-term, after taking into account the 18 months he spent in the jail. According to the lawyers defending him, Sanjay Dutt has two options before him. One is to go in for a review petition before the Supreme Court and the other is to seek pardon from the Maharashtra Governor. Justice Markandeya Katju said the sentence awarded to Sanjay Dutt related to an offence that is 20 years old. "During this period, Sanjay suffered a lot and had a cloud hovering over his head throughout. He had to undergo various tribulations and indignities during this period. He had to go to court often, he had to take the permission of the court for foreign shootings, he could not get bank loans, etc," Justice Katju said. Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan said, "I agree with everyone that he has suffered a lot. I believe that he should not be given such a big punishment. He is a changed man now. I am going to personally appeal to the Maharashtra Governor and ask him to pardon Sanjay Dutt." Another SP leader Naresh Aggarwal said, "We appeal to the President and the Governor that Sanjay Dutt's case be treated as a special one." NCP leader D P Tripathi has said that Sanjay Dutt has not been found guilty of terrorist activities. He certainly deserved relief. Press Council Chairman Markandey Katju has already written to the Maharashtra Governor, pointing out that Article 161 of the Constitution grants Governors and the President the authority to pardon or reduce a sentence. "In the case of Sanjay Dutt, the Supreme Court has not found him guilty for the 1993 bomb blasts, but only found him guilty of having in his possession a prohibited weapon without licence," Justice Katju wrote. "His parents Sunil Dutt and Nargis worked for the good of society and the nation. Sunil Dutt and Nargis often went to border areas to give moral support to our brave jawans and did other social work for the society," he said. Justice Katju said, "Surely, this is a lesser offence than murder. When the Governor of Maharashtra granted pardon to Nanavati, surely he can grant pardon to Sanjay." The reference is to Naval Commander K M Nanavati, who had murdered his wife's lover in a fit of anger. It became a sensational case, which was later made into a film, "Yeh Raaste Hain Pyaar Ke."After spending about three years in prison, the then Maharashtra Governor Vijayalakshmi Pandit granted him pardon.