'Sanjay Dutt's discipline earned him early remission': Maharashtra Governement

Firstpost had earlier reported that Bombay High Court had given Maharashtra government two weeks'  time to justify Sanjay Dutt’s early release from Pune’s Yerwada prison. The government finally filed an affidavit, justifying the leniency by citing “good behaviour, and discipline while in jail,” as per a Hindustan Times report. [caption id=“attachment_3293912” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Sanjay Dutt. Image from CNN-News18.[/caption] Advocate general Ashutosh Kumbhakoni filed the affidavit which states that Dutt exhibited good behaviour and participated in all institutional activities, be it physical training or educational programmes. Therefore, the government granted him an early release on these grounds. On 25 February, 2016, Dutt was released eight months and 16 days ahead of his five year term, despite getting regular paroles. The actor was convicted for possessing arms which were part of a consignment used in the Mumbai blasts of 1993, killing over 257 people and injuring some 700. The court’s decision to ask the Maharashtra government to file an affidavit explaining the leniency in Dutt’s case, came after Pradeep Bhalekar, the chairperson of Samajik Karyakarta Saurakhan Samiti, filed a public interest litigation. In the PIL, Bhalekar claimed that Dutt had already been treated differently in jail and benefited from regular paroles. The petition also alleged that if the court were to apply the same standards to all prisoners,  27,740 inmates would become eligible to go scot-free.