Actor Sanjay Dutt, convicted for illegal possession of arms in the 1993 serial blasts case, was on Thursday given time till January 18 to surrender by a court in Mumbai.
Sanjay and seven others convicted in connection with the blasts were granted additional time to surrender by the TADA court of Judge P D Kode since it is currently occupied with hearing arguments regarding the quantum of sentence for others found guilty in the case.
On January 18, the court will hear Sanjay's plea to waive his punishment under the Probation of Offenders Act and arguments on the quantum of sentence for eight accused, including the actor, who have been given time to surrender after being found guilty.
Sanjay was convicted under the Arms Act on November 28 for possessing a 9mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle. He faces a prison term ranging from five to 10 years. Represented by a battery of lawyers including senior counsel V R Manohar and Satish Maneshinde, Sanjay contended that the arguments on the quantum of sentence and the plea under the Probation of Offenders Act should be heard on the same day as they were connected.
Manohar told the court that Sanjay had been earlier granted bail by the Supreme Court and he should be granted time to surrender as the trial was not yet complete. Special Public Prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam argued that once an accused is held guilty by the court, he has to be taken into custody.
He also said the sentence could not be waived as it had not yet been awarded.
Judge Kode, while granting time to the eight persons to surrender, said this was an important question of law. He added the court was currently busy hearing the arguments on the quantum of sentence for the other convicts.
Clad in a white shirt and denim trousers, Sanjay thanked his lawyers and asked the court for permission to leave the premises. Earlier, Sanjay had sought additional time to surrender as he had to make arrangements for his daughter Trishala's education in the US and complete some films.
Sanjay also pleaded he would invoke Section 4 of the Probation of Offenders Act at the time of making submissions on the quantum of his sentence. Under this provision, he can be released on bond on assurance of good conduct for a period not less than three years.
Seven other convicts whose arguments on the quantum of sentence will be made on January 18 are Rusi Mullah, Zebunisa Kazi, Yusuf Nalwallah, Rubina Bhivandiwala, Keris Adjania, Imtiaz Ghawte and S N Thapa.
All of them had sought more time to surrender mainly on personal and medical grounds. Of the seven, Ghawte and Thapa were asked to be present in court on January 5 as they were absent on Thursday.
One hundred of the 123 accused in the 1993 bomb blasts case have been convicted by the court. The 13 bomb explosions that rocked Mumbai on March 13, 1993 killed 257 people and injured over 700.