Sanjay Dutt may seek more time to surrender

NEW DELHI: Actor Sanjay Dutt and three other accused in the 1993 blasts’ case have sought more time from the Supreme Court to surrender. All these are likely to be heard well ahead of the four-week surrender deadline which ends on April 18, 2013.

Dutt sought six months to allow him time to complete his film assignments and also possibly to await the outcome of petitions filed by some accused seeking pardon from either the President or the state governor.

Senior counsel Harish Salve, who represented the actor, told reporters that he may seek six more months to complete dubbing of his films and wrap up his other film assignments.

Dutt has Rs 250 crore riding on him and is working on at least four movies Raju Hirani’s PK, TP Agarwal’s Policegiri, Apoorva Lakhia’s Zanjeer and Karan Johar’s Unglee.

The top court had on March 21, 2013, upheld his conviction for illegal possession of arms and sentenced him to five years in jail.

The 4-week deadline to surrender expires on April 18, 2013. He’s already spent 18 months in jail and will have to spend three years and six months more behind bars, unless he is pardoned. Three other accused in the case, sentenced to varying jail terms, also sought more time to surrender.