Sanjay Dutt was out on parole half the time still got early release. Why? Asks the HC

Fresh trouble seems to have been brewed for Sanjay Dutt. The Bombay high court has asked the Maharashtra government to give reason why the actor was released 8 months early from prison.

In the wake of the deadly Bombay bomb blasts, Sanjay Dutt was arrested under TADA Act ( terrorist and disruptive activities prevention ) in 1993. He was arrested for illegal possession of an AK-56 rifle and attempts to destroy evidence. The actor had links with gangsters Dawood Ibrahim and Abu Salem back then and kept the rifle at the behest of Salem.

Sanjay Dutt was incarcerated in the Yerawada Central Jail in Pune. In February 2016, he was released for good behavior.

“Was the deputy inspector general of police (prisons) consulted or did the jail superintendent directly send his recommendation to the governor?” the bench asked.

“How did the authorities assess that Dutt’s conduct was good? When did they get the time to make such an assessment when he was out on parole half the time?” it said.

The high court, which was hearing to a PIL filed against Dutt’s early release, has asked the government to document what was the good behavior, what are the parameters and what all procedures were followed by them. It also added that when he was on parole for almost half of the time, how did the jail authorities determine his good behavior.

His bails, paroles and furloughs had been extended twice for a period for more than a month. In total, he has been out of prison for 146 days.

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