Law is equal to everyone and High Court has every right to question the state over the early release of Sanjay Dutt. In return, the Maharashtra government informed Bombay High Court that it can direct actor Sanjay Dutt to go back to jail if it is of the view that the state had erred in granting him early remission. So, the ball is put on High Court’s court and now it is up to the bench judges to decide the fate of Sanjay Dutt. The question was raised after Dutt was repeatedly granted parole and furlough in quick succession and within two months of surrendering to serve his five-year sentence in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, he was let off.
It is quite imperative that the court has every right and sought to know how, is the good conduct and behaviour of a convict is ascertained and on what basis and criteria the actor was granted early remission. The High Court question appears to be very clear sound about letting off of a convict so early showing soft corner, whereas there are other in the jail with exemplary character are still behind bars for no fault of theirs. Thus the picture has come clear and it is up to the State government to give proper reasoning or else, the High Court has every right to reverse the order. But this questioning ought to have been done much earlier when furlough was granted for his wife’s illness and then parole of his daughter’s illness. A fishy release from jail needs to be answered in affirmative and with proper proof to support the remission. Or else show the soft corner to other inmates of jail as per their seniority and the level of crime compared to their good behaviour.
Nickhil Mani
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
