Click to play videoLucknow: Actor Sanjay Dutt was looking more and more comfortable playing the part of a neta(statesman) but Munnabhai's netagiri(statesmanship) did not impress the Supreme Court judges. Lucknow might have been charmed by the actor's smooth talking but the judges thought they couldn't let off a man convicted of possessing weapons in the 1993 Bombay blasts case. In the eyes of the law, this hero is still a villain.
This Supreme Court judgement may have left Sanjay Dutt heart broken, but at the same time, this judgement has gladdened the hearts of millions who oppose the entry of criminals into politics.
Advocate, Supreme court Prashant Bhushan said, “The Supreme court has merely said that once a person has been convicted by trial court, then merely because his appeal is pending, his conviction should not be stayed to allow him to contest the election.”
Despite all these favourable circumstances, we don't think this is a fit case where conviction and sentence could be suspended. In view of the serious offence for which he has been convicted, we are not inclined to suspend conviction''.
On behalf of Dutt, lawyer Harish Salve harped on Dutt's stature and fan following in Lucknow, his father Sunil Dutt's clean image, the fact that he was not a TADA convict and the argument that his conviction was based on a confession.
However, how did cricketer Navjyot Singh Sidhu get away two years ago? The court said that an exception was made in his case because the trial court had acquitted him. Sidhu's lawyer and BJP leader, Arun Jaitley greeted the judgment.
BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitley said, “The BJP welcomes the direction of the supreme court in not staying the conviction and the sentence in the case of Shri Sanjay Dutt.”
Meanwhile, Khalnayak (villain) was obviously a disappointed man.
Dutt said, “I respect the Supreme Court decision. However, I will be Lucknow.”
The Samajwadi Party (SP) had hoped to ride on Dutt's popularity and conquer Vajpayee's Lucknow. Now that dream has been shattered, the party is looking for a replacement for Dutt. It could be a woman, in fact any of the three, Jaya Bachchan, Jayaprada or Dutt's wife Manyata.
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