Supreme Court to hear Sanjay Dutts bail petition on August 10

The Supreme Court will hear the bail plea of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt on Friday.

New Delhi, Aug 8 : The Supreme Court will hear the bail plea of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt on Friday.

Dutt's bail petition was filed in the apex court on Tuesday, challenging his sentence of six-years of rigorous imprisonment given by a special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) court under the Arms Act and seeking interim bail.

Dutt's lawyers' contended that Dutt's conviction under the Arms Act was wrong because no weapons were recovered from him. They also say that Dutt's conviction was based on a confessional statement, which he later retracted.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has said it would oppose the apex court plea.

The Dutt family is challenging the judgement given by a special TADA court in Mumbai for the illegal possession of arms on July 31.

Special Judge P D Kode sentenced Dutt to six years imprisonment in prison and fined him Rupees 25,000.

Dutt has already spent nearly 16 months in prison before his release on bail in 1996.

Dutt's sentence has evoked mixed reactions in the public and the media, with conflicting opinions regarding his punishment coming up everyday.

Many people term the actor's sentence as harsh, and feel it should be reduced.

Another faction feels letting him off would be a mockery of justice, as he is a criminal and should be treated as one.

ANI