Petition in Bombay High court against early release of Sanjay Dutt

Mumbai: A petition filed in the Bombay High Court Thursday sought to restrain Maharashtra government from releasing Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, sentenced to five years in jail in the 1993 bomb blasts case, before the end of his prison term.

The government has allowed remission of the actor's sentence by 18 months. Pradeep Bhalekar, the petitioner, alleges that Dutt is getting a favour and there are 27,740 others prisoners in the state who deserve to be released on the same ground. The petition would come up for hearing next week, he told PTI.

The petition also levels an allegation against a senior prison official that he favoured Dutt and demands an inquiry into the official's assets.

According to the state home department, Dutt will walk free on February 27. His jail term was reduced by 18 months on account of his good behaviour and work done by him in prison.

The actor has spent three and half years in jail, including the period spent as an undertrial.

Dutt was convicted for illegal possession of an automatic assault rifle, a part of cache of arms and ammunition that landed ahead of 1993 Mumbai serial blasts in which 257 people were killed.