Upset with an intense media debate over the ongoing clamour in certain quarters for remission of his sentence in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt said on Thursday that he would not seek pardon and would surrender to the police well within the time-frame set by the Supreme Court.
As he interacted with the media a week after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction under the Arms Act and sentenced him to five years’ imprisonment in the 1993 serial blasts, Sanjay broke down and appealed to the media to stop the ongoing media debate over a clamour for remission or suspension in sentence, since he was not seeking any pardon.
Sanjay, who was accompanied by Congress MP-sister Priya Dutt, said: “I respect the law. I have the highest respect for what the decision is and I will abide by all the terms and conditions the honourable Supreme Court has put on me. Honourable Supreme Court has given me time to surrender and I will surrender at that time”.
“I have not applied for pardon. There are many other people who deserve pardon. With folded hands I want to tell the media, the honourable citizens of my country and senior media people that when I am not going for a pardon there is no debate about it,” Sanjay said.
An emotional Sanjay, who was comforted by sister Priya sitting next to him during the course of his reading out his prepared statement at the news conference, said: “Right now I am a shattered man. My family is shattered. It’s a very tough time in my life, in our lives. I want to thank everybody who supported me”
“I want to tell everybody, particularly the media, that I have a few days left. I have a lot of work. I have to finish all that work. I have to spend all this time with my family. With folded hands I want to tell you that just let me be in peace till the time I go in. I love my country and all the citizens. I love India,” the actor said.
An inconsolable Sanjay, who declined to take questions from the media, merely hugged Priya and left the news conference venue.
Several noted personalities, including Press Council India chairman, senior actors and MPs Jaya Bachchan, Jaya Prada, Shatrughan Sinha and former Samajwadi Party leader Amar Singh, have been rooting for a gubernatorial pardon for Sanjay.
In fact, Jaya Prada and Amar Singh met Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan at Raj Bhavan on Tuesday and sought clemency for the actor.
Meanwhile, Sanjay is making most of the time that he is left before he goes to jail to serve the remaining three and half years’ term, to complete his unfinished film work.
After addressing the news conference, the actor engaged himself in the shooting of a climax for his under-production film “Policegiri” which is being shot at Kamalistan studio. “It is an action sequence that we have to shoot. Also we have to dub for the film. So we would require approximately eight to ten days from him”, Policegiri producer TP Agarwal said.
In a related development, the Maharashtra BJP reiterated its opposition to the ongoing clamour in certain quarters for granting pardon to Sanjay Dutt.
“It is unfortunate that after the Supreme Court awarded sentence to Sanjay Dutt, a clamour for his pardon has begun. We are opposed to the actor being granted pardon. Our opposition stems from the fact that the actor has awarded punishment only after the charge against him has been proved,” the State BJP said in a statement.