Maharashtra government to probe Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt’s furloughs

MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government wants to investigate whether actor Sanjay Dutt convicted under the Arms Act, who is currently out on a furlough, was ‘unduly favoured’ by officials while releasing him from jail.

Dutt who came out on Wednesday from Pune’s Yerawada Jail, where he has been lodged since May 21 last year after his conviction in possessing illegal arms in the 1993 serial blasts case was upheld by the Supreme Court last year. Of his five-year sentence, Dutt has completed 18 months when he was arrested and is currently serving the rest of his term.

On Friday, Ram Shinde, Minister of State for Home (Rural) said, “ Rules and regulations are equal to all, we have no objections to him being released repeatedly. However, if other prisoners are being denied furlough and if Dutt is getting a preferential treatment and is being unduly favoured, then action will be taken against the guilty officers.”

“Just because Dutt is a celebrity doesn’t mean that we will allow him to be treated differently,” he added.

Shinde has now asked his office to find out how many other convicts lodged in jails have applied for furlough and how many of them have been denied or given furlough.

The Ministers said that the decision to give furlough to prisoners is done at the ‘junior level’ and his department would investigate whether there is any bias being shown to the actor.

Dutt who went to Jail in May 21 last year was out in October when he was first released on a 14 day parole. The parole was extended for another 14 days. Jail officials said that they released the actor as he had applied for parole seeking to get treatment outside the jail for a leg ailment.

Again, in December last year he was released on a parole of 30 days on account of his wife’s Maanyata’s illness. The parole was extended for another 30 days on the request of the actor.

It’s not just the BJP-led government in the state that is perplexed at Dutt getting repeated furlough or parole to come out of jail. In February last year, the Bombay High Court responding to a PIL pulled up the state government asking how officials were able to decide on Dutt’s application for furlough/parole within a week, while at the same time keeping other prisoners applications pending for months altogether.

While furlough is a right given to the prisoner that can be availed of each year, parole on other hand is entirely on the prerogative of prison department officials.