No proposal to pardon Sanjay Dutt, says Maharashtra Home Minister

Mumbai: Quashing speculation, Maharashtra Home Minister RR Patil Friday asserted he has not received any communication from the central government on the issue of granting a remission of sentence or pardon to incarcerated actor Sanjay Dutt.

Patil said even the actor`s family members, including sister and Congress MP from Mumbai Priya Dutt, have not made any such request.

He was responding to Bharatiya Janata Party member and leader of the opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Vinod Tawade who met him (Patil) and opposed any proposal to grant Dutt pardon.

Tawade said any criminal, whether politician or actor, must not be condoned for the crime as it could send wrong signals to society at large, besides encouraging other convicts to seek pardon.

The actor was sentenced to five years in jail for illegal possession of firearms from a consignment that landed ahead of the March 12, 1993 Mumbai serial blasts.

Since May 16 this year, Dutt, 54, is serving the remaining 42 months of his term at the Yerawada Central Jail, Pune. He is out on parole on medical grounds till Oct 28.