The Pune Revenue divisional administration on Tuesday extended the parole of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt by 30 more days on the ground that he wanted to “take care of” his wife Manyata who is recuperating from a recent surgery.
The 30-day extension of Sanjay’s parole comes three days ahead of his scheduled return to Pune’s Yerwada Central prison to serve the remainder of 42 months’ jail term in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. Citing his wife’s illness, the actor had made an application to Pune Divisional Commissioner Prabhakar Deshmukh early this month, for a further extension of his parole.
Informed official sources said that acting on a report from the Khar police and a team of doctors from the State-run JJ Hospital in Mumbai that looked into Manyata’s health issues, the Pune divisional administration had extended the Bollywood actor’s parole further till March 20. Fifty-four-year-old Sanjay, who had been released on a 30-day parole from the Yerwada prison on December 20, had got first extension of parole on January 20, 2014. In the normal course, Sanjay was to return to the Yerwada prison on or before February 21.
All convicts are eligible for 90 days’ parole in a year. Having already been on parole for nearly 60 days, the latest is the last parole extension granted for Sanjay in a year. In effect, the latest extension of parole has facilitated the Bollywood actor to stay out of the prison for four months ever since he 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.
Sanjay, who had initially been released on a 14-day- furlough from the Yerwarda prison on October 1, had succeeded in getting an extension of leave for another 14 days, a grace period that had come in handy for him to spend more time with his family and also to undergo treatment of blood clots formed in his legs. He had returned to the Yerwada prison on October 30.
However, the Bollywood was released from the Pune on 30-day parole on December 20, on the ground of his wife Manyata’s illness. Manyata, who was reportedly diagnosed with tumor in liver, had been admitted to a private hospital in the city suburbs early last month. She underwent a surgery subsequently. Sanjay has since been granted two parole extensions. He will now have return to Pune”s Yerwada prison on or before March 21.