Munnabhai Goes to Jail

The curtain has finally drawn for Sanjay Dutt, one of the accused in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case. Today was the judgment day for Sanjay Dutt, the movie Icon of the tinsel world of Bollywood. Delivering his judgment on the 93 Bomb blasts Judge P D Kode today awarded Sanjay Dutt 6 years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs 25000. The sentence was in line with the tough decision Justice Kode had meted out to other accused over last two months judgment. Sanjay Dutt’s other accomplice accused Yusuf Nulwalla gets 5 years behind bars and fined Rs 25000 and Kersi Adjania gets 2 years and fined Rs 25000 and whereas Mulla was freed under probation of offenders act.

Sanjay Dutt’s crime was that he had stored an AK 56 rifle at his residence in the background of the '93 bomb blasts. While reading out his judgment Justice Kode expressed sympathy for the accused but remarked that Sanjay deserved to be punished for the serious crime he committed. He also remarked that there was something lacking in Sanjay’s character while linking him to the Dawood Abraham the main accused in the 93 blasts. Sanjay in his confession had admitted to having attended parties in the presence of Dawood. However in his defense he said that he was then naïve and immature for storing the AK 56 at his residence, though he had perceived some risk to his family in the light of the communal riots that took place in Mumbai. Further in his defense, he said that he had already gone through enough suffering by spending 18 months behind jail and that he has a lone daughter in the United States and his family to look after.

Hearing the sentencing of 6 years awarded to him, Sanjay Dutt expressed shock and the film fraternity who stood by him remarked that the 6 year term was too harsh judgment on him. After the sentencing, Sanjay Dutt requested the court to give him some time for surrendering and also he wanted to speak to his daughter Trishala. While speaking to the media the defense lawyer Ujjwal Nikam disclosed that as Sanjay was awarded more than three years of imprisonment so it was not within the power of the TADA court to give him time for surrendering. However he added that he has no objection to Sanjay speaking to his daughter. Sanjay whose popularity soared sky high in Lage Raho Munnabhai in propagating Gandhi’s teaching about ahimsa, ironically will find him behind bars. Now he can appeal to the Supreme Court for granting him bail.

There is no doubt that Sanjay Dutt had committed a crime and he got to pay for it. The court while delivering judgment in such a high profile case had sent a clear message that in the eyes of law everyone is equal.

The court had taken 14 long years to hand out sentencing to all the accused. But the redeeming feature of the Bomb blasts trial is that Justice Kode has taken a tough stand delivering harsh punishment of death sentence to some accused. Thousands of innocent lives were lost in the series of bomb blast that rocked Mumbai in 1993.

Now the focus has to shift to the Srikrishna commission report lying with government and gathering dust.

Let equal and fair justice be meted out to people of the minority community. Those accused in the Mumbai riots must be brought to book. The political workers of the right wing parties who had orchrested the riots and indicted in the Srikrishna commission must be punishment at any cost. In fact one of the politicians while was going about inciting riots in the western suburbs of Mumbai was caught red handed carrying weapons like guns in his jeep by the patrolling party. The modus operandi of this party was to raise the bogey of fear in common people by spreading false rumors that people belonging to minority community had plans to attack them. Then members of this party would go round to people offering their protection and in return ask monetary favor.

Justice Kode has done a wonderful job and it had helped to reinstate people’s belief in our judiciary system about fair play and equal justice to all. Now it is up to the state government to implement the Srikrishna report without fearing for any political backlash so that people have similar faith in our political system.