Click to play videoMumbai/New Delhi: Actor Sanjay Dutt arrived at the designated TADA court at Mumbai's Arthur Road to hear a much-awaited verdict on his alleged role in the blasts case amid heightened media glare and nationwide anticipation.
Dutt left his Imperial Heights residence at 1020 hrs (IST), with a cavalcade of 25 cars that included a large media contingent.
The actor - who was surprisingly not wearing his trademark blue shirt and chose a brown check and blue denims instead - was accompanied by sisters Priya Dutt and Namrata, actor and brother-in-law Kumar Gaurav, colleague Bunty Walia, director Sanjay Gupta and MLA Baba Siddiqui.
Emotions ran high as a tense-looking Dutt hugged his friends after getting out of the car and nodded at waiting camerapersons as he walked into the court premises alone.
Early on Tuesday morning, a flurry of priests could be seen at Dutt's residence for a big puja that was conducted there.
Also seen arriving were some of the actor's friends from Bollywood and other fields.
On the eve of the verdict, Dutt visited the famous Siddhivinayak temple at Prabhadevi in Mumbai and offered prayers.
The actor is a regular at the temple and every time he is summoned by the TADA court in connection with the case, he pays a visit to the shrine.
Dutt had also recently visited the Dagdu Halwai Ganpati temple in Pune with the permission of the court.
Ex-wife wishes luck, stars pour in
While the actor is bracing up for the crucial verdict by invoking the divine powers, Bollywood is also keeping its fingers crossed.
With over Rs 160-cr riding on Dutt and his popularity soaring, it's a tense moment for the film industry.
Late on Monday evening, actors Viviek Oberoi, Fardeen Khan, director Karan Johar, Maharashtra food and civil supplies minister Baba Siddiqui and Dutt's sister and Lok Sabha MP Priya Dutt came to meet him at his residence in suburban Bandra.
"We are here to wish luck to Sanjay," said Siddiqui.
Many Congress leaders, all friends of Priya Dutt, came to meet the actor and wished him luck.
Dutt's ex-wife Rhea Pillai, too, reportedly sent an SMS to a mediaperson expressing hope that he will be acquitted since he was "a good man."
Dutt's popularity has soared to unprecedented heights post the success of his film Lage Raho Munnabhai and his neighbours, too, have a favourable opinion of him.
Most of them say that the actor is "an honest man" who was perhaps "a little foolish" at the time of his involvement in the blasts.
Good news, bad news
On Monday, the TADA court brought in a mix of good and bad news for Dutt.
While his friend and co-accused Ajay Marwa was given the benefit of doubt and acquitted, another co-accused Mansoor Ahmed Syed was found guilty of "acquiring and carrying AK-56 rifles, ammunition and hand grenades" from Dutt’s Bandra residence to that of a woman accomplice.
Marwah had been charged with destroying the rifle and pistol that was allegedly in Dutt's possession.
Marwah had told the court that accused Rusi Mulla had delivered a box to his brother asking him to keep it until co-accused Kersi Adajenia took it back.
Besides Sanjay, the court has also summoned seven others including Zebunisa Kazi, Yusuf Nallwalla, Samir Hingora, Ibrahim Musa Chouhan, Rusi Mulla, Kersi Adajenia and former Additional Collector of Customs Somnath Thapa.
The man, the history
Sanjay Dutt was arrested in 1993, at a time when his career was on an upswing, and was booked for possessing an AK-56 rifle that had come in a consignment of arms and explosives meant for use in the Mumbai serial blasts that killed 257 people.
He spent nearly 16 months in jail as his personal and professional life went into great turmoil.
The actor was in Mauritius shooting his film Khalnayak when he was summoned by the police to Mumbai and placed under arrest on his arrival at Sahar Airport.
Though the film proved to be a great hit, the tag of khalnayak (villain) shadowed his life for many years to come.
On the day he was released on bail, he did two things.
One, he visited the Siddhivinayak temple, and second, he met the Sena chief and expressed his gratitude.
So charged was Dutt with emotions that he even offered to work for the Sena and contest polls.
Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, instead, advised the actor to continue in films.
His dark days in jail, however, had a silver lining as he got strong support from model Rhea Pillai, whom he subsequently married.
BLAST FROM THE PAST |
 Sanjay Dutt was arrested at the time when his acting career was on an upswing, he was arrested on charges of possessing AK-47 rifle that had come in a consignment meant for the Mumbai serial bomb blasts. |
| Sanjay, the only son of yesteryears' noted actors Sunil Dutt and Nargis, spent more than 18 months in jail, even as he suffered a great deal in both his personal and professional life. |
| Sanjay was shooting in Mauritius when he was summoned by police to Mumbai and subsequently arrested on arrival at Sahar airport. With the movie Khalnayak becoming a great hit, the tag of Khalnayak (villain) seems to have stuck to Sanjay over the years. |
| The actor reportedly telephoned the then Mumbai police chief, Amarjeet Samra, soon after his named cropped up during probe into the blasts, claiming that he had no role in the blasts. The top police official asked Sanjay to appear before police and clarify his stand. |
| After Sanjay was arrested on arrival at Sahar Airport, he was taken to Mumbai crime branch office where he was grilled for over six hours by the then DCP, Rakesh Maria. |
| Dutt, who maintained that he was innocent, broke down after he was confronted with the statements of Sameer Hingora and Hanif Kadawala regarding his alleged role in procuring the AK-47 weapon, sources said. |
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