Sanjay Dutt released from Yerawada Jail

Actor Sanjay Dutt was released from Yerwada jail on Thursday. Sanjay Dutt will reportedly have a relaxed day and spend time with his family. “He will take a charter from Yerawada Central Jail to Mumbai. He will offer prayers at Siddhivinayak temple and then go to his mother’s (Nargis) grave in Marine Lines,” sources told IANS. “There is a portrait of his father (Sunil Dutt) in his building in Pali Hill. There will be a small puja there. It will be basically a relaxed day with his family,” the source added.

On Wednesday, a social worker has yet again moved the Bombay High Court stating that Dutt's release was reflective of the inequality in the treatment of prisoners. The PIL also states that the actor has been given preferential treatment throughout his term in prison. Pradeep Bhalekar, chairperson of Samajik Karyakarta Saurakhan Samiti, filed a public interest litigation (PIL) on Wednesday pointing out there are 27,740 others prisoners in the state who deserve to be released on the same grounds as Dutt. The petition also states that the actor, who has spent 42 months behind bars, has already benefitted a lot because of furlough and parole.

1993 Mumbai blasts

The actor was arrested in April 1993 and later convicted for illegal possession of an automatic assault rifle, a part of cache of arms and ammunition that landed ahead of the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts in which 257 people were killed.

In 2013, Dutt was sentenced to five years of imprisonment. He had already served 18 months behind the bars after being jailed in 1996, and so was ordered to serve the remaining 42 months. Dutt’s prison sentence has been mired in controversies due to the repeated paroles and furloughs he obtained.