Sanjay Dutt's parole extended again by a month

The parole of actor Sanjay Dutt, convicted in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, has been extended by one more month by the district authorities, sanctioning his request on the ground of his wife Manyata's illness.

Dutt, 53, convicted under the Arms Act for illegal possession of weapons, was supposed to return to Yerawada Jail on February 21 on the expiry of his month-long parole.

The divisional commissioner's office here granted extension till March 21 to the actor, who is serving remainder of his five year sentence, after receiving a mandatory report from the Mumbai police.

The authorities said that as per the rules, this would be the last parole leave for Dutt this year.

Dutt sought extension of his parole to be able to look after his ailing wife, who recently underwent a surgery in Mumbai.

Last month, the Maharashtra government had extended Dutt's parole by another 30 days on the ground of his wife's illness.

The Bollywood actor was granted a month-long parole on December 6 last year, which triggered protests outside Pune's Yerawada Jail forcing the government to order an inquiry. Prior to it, he had availed of a month-long leave of furlough on medical grounds.

He was convicted by the Supreme Court last year and sentenced to five years in prison for illegal possession of arms in a case related to the 1993 bomb blasts.

He has already served 18 months of his term and is currently undergoing the remaining 42 months of the sentence.