The Bombay High Court on Monday granted two more weeks' time to the Maharashtra Government to justify its decision to release an actor early from the prison in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case. Hearing a PIl filed by Pune resident Pradeep Bhalekar challenging the regular paroles and furloughs granted to Dutt when he was serving his sentence, a HC division bench of justices RM Sawant and Sadhana Jadhav granted additional time to the State Government, after Additional Public Prosecutor Prajakta Shinde made a request to the court. In a submission made before the HC Bench, Shinde told that the State Government had appointed Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni to appear in the case and that the State be given two weeks’ time to file its affidavit in the case. The HC Bench granted additional time to the State Government to file its say and posted the hearing of the case after a fortnight. At the previous hearing held on June 12, the court had directed the State Government to file an affidavit stating what parameters were considered and the procedures followed while deciding that the actor deserved leniency. “Was the DIG, Prisons, consulted or did the jail superintendent directly send his recommendation to the Governor (on the actor’s early release from the prison),IJ” Justice Sawant asked. “Also, how did the authorities assess that Dutt’s conduct was goodIJ When did they get the time to make such assessment when he was out on parole half the timeIJ” the Judge said.