Click to play videoMumbai: Actor Sanjay Dutt may be thankful for being out on bail for the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, but not everyone was happy with his freedom.
The family members of 68 other convicts in the case protested in front of the TADA court, demanding parity in treatment for what they feel is the same crime.
"They should get bail just like Sanjay Dutt has got bail. His daughter may be coming from the US, but these people have spent 14 years in jail,” said a relative of a convicted person.
They family members insisted that like Sanjay, their convicted relatives must be entitled to relief under the Probation of the Offenders Act.
Their slogans became too tough for the security personnel to handle, hence they were bundled into police van and taken away.
"Our people should get the same treatment as Sanjay Dutt,” said a relative of another convicted person.
The application signed by the 68 convicts claim that:
- They were not really terrorists, and their actions were a direct result of the Babari Masjid demolition.
- Their mental health was affected, and they were suffering from what psychologists call 'Mass Sociogenic Illness’.
- They also claim that their behaviour has otherwise been exemplary and that no intelligence agency had filed any report against them during this period. They have maintained good conduct.
Their lawyers say the convicts have a strong case and that the TADA court should consider the petitioners' claims just like they considered Sanjay’s.
“His bail will not be affected, we are only asking that we benefit from that judgement and be treated on parity with him. That is all,” said a lawyer, Mushtaq Ahmed.
So while Sanjay Dutt's battery of lawyers may be the best, the 68 convicts are hoping that their small efforts will help them get some relief in the long run.
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