India's Supreme Court has sentenced extravagant Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt
to five years in jail for the possession of illegal weapons.
His conviction involves a case linked to a 1993 bombing that killed 257
people in Mumbai.The court ordered Dutt to surrender to police within four weeks on the charge of possessing three automatic rifles and a pistol that were supplied to him by men subsequently convicted in the bombing.
The actor's case was part of a trial that has dragged on for 18 years.
Dutt insisted he knew nothing about the bombing plot and said he asked for the guns to protect his family - his mother was Muslim and his father Hindu - after receiving threats during sectarian riots in Mumbai.
He served 18 months in jail before he was released on bail in November 2007 pending an appeal in the top court.
The court had earlier acquitted Dutt of the more serious charges of terrorism and conspiracy.
Dutt's lawyer, Satish Maneshinde, said the 53-year-old actor would take some time before deciding on his next step.
Despite his troubles with the law and his time spent in jail, Dutt's Bollywood career has flourished over the past two decades.
He gained enormous popularity for a series of Hindi films in which he played the role of a reformed thug who follows the teachings of Gandhi.
An offender must get punishment for his misconduct. But it appears quite weird that a man who was legally kept out of the jail is suddenly asked to go to the jail and serve the rest of his term, for no visible or specific cause. He had been socially active and has been participating in day-to-day activities, till date, like any other law abiding citizen. What an irony !
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