SC declines urgent hearing to Sanjay Dutt's bail plea

"We want to follow uniform approach," Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan said in an obvious reference to bail applications and appeals filed by Dutt's co-accused in the Mumbai serial blast case earlier.

"We are not going to pass any order now. We will consider all connected matters on August 20," the Bench, also comprising Justice R V Raveendran, said when senior advocate Fali S Nariman mentioned Dutt's interim bail application for urgent hearing.

The court refused to accept Nariman's plea that the interim bail application be taken up on Monday and issued notice to the CBI.

"Please give us five minutes on Monday," Nariman pleaded humbly before the Bench which remained unmoved.

The senior advocate said it is the mandate of Article 21 of the Constitution that the actor should have been supplied with the copy of the judgement.

He (Dutt) has been deprived of the copy of judgement which amounts to violation of his liberty, Nariman said adding it would not be possible to get the copy of judgement before 24th August..

However, the Bench said it would hear the matter without waiting for the judgement.

Dutt, has been convicted under the Arms Act and was sentenced to six years imprisonment by the TADA court on 31st July.

Aziz Ahmed Mohammed Sheikh, a convict in the case, through his lawyer, on Thursday complained that though he was the first to approach the apex court, petitions of other co-accused got precedence.

A Bench headed by Justice B N Agrawal had said the court would not discriminate vis-a-vis dealing with the accused persons in the Mumbai blasts.

Meanwhile, a Bench headed by the Chief Justice also issued notice the CBI on an appeal and bail petition filed by Ibrahim Musa Chauhan, sentenced to 10 years' imprisonment in the case.

Chauhan, was found guilty of supplying weapons to Dutt.

His counsel Shree Prakash Sinha told the Bench that Chauhan, who has been convicted both under the TADA and Arms Act had been in jail for six years before he was granted bail.

Zaibunnisa Anwar Kazi, a woman accused sentenced to five years in connection with the case, has also challenged her conviction before the apex court.
The court on 31st July had issued notice to the agency on 64-year-old Kazi's plea for bail.

Kazi, had allegedly helped gangster Abu Salem's aid Mansoor Ahmed Sayed in carrying the weapons from the residence of actor Sanjay Dutt to her house. - DDNEWS