After four-week-long leave of furlough, convicted Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt on Wednesday returned to Pune’s Yerwada central prison to serve the remainder of 42 months’ jail term in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.
Having made the most of 28 days’ furlough granted to him by the State prison administration in two stretches since October 1, 54-year-old Sanjay drove back from Mumbai — where he had spent quality time with his family members and friends and undergone treatment for an ailment in his legs — to Yerwada prison in the morning.
The actor, who was initially granted 14 days of furlough from the Pune prison, had succeeded in getting an extension of leave for another 14 days, a grace period that came in handy for him to spend more time with his family and also to undergo treatment of blood clots formed in his legs.
While departing for Pune from his Bandra residence, Sanjay profusely thanked the media for heeding his request for privacy with his family during his period of furlough and wished everyone a happy Diwali.
“I still have a problem in my legs but it is a bit better than before. Pray for me so that I can come out soon. Happy Diwali to all,” the actor said.
Accompanied by his wife Manyata, Sanjay left his Mumbai residence at 6.30 am and drove by road to Pune’s Yerwada prison, where he reached at around 10.30 am.
Sanjay — whose conviction in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts for possessing illegal firearms in the 1993 blasts case was upheld but the sentence was reduced from the earlier six years (awarded by a TADA court in 2006) to five years by the Supreme Court on March 21, 2013 — had surrendered before a designated TADA court in Mumbai on May 16 to serve the remaining 42 months’ jail term in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.
The actor was initially lodged in Mumbai’s Arthur Road prison from where he was shifted to Pune’s Yerwada jail on May 22. Sanjay will be spending Diwali in the confines of the Yerwada prison, where he has reportedly been given work of making eco-friendly bags.