November 28, 2007	Wednesday	Ziqa’ad 17, 1428

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt bail on a six-year prison term handed down for possessing illegal weapons.

But he was ordered to deposit an unspecified surety and his passport with the authorities, the Press Trust of India reported.

Dutt’s sister Priya, who is also a federal MP, described the verdict as “a huge relief.” “From the point of view of the family it is very happy moment. We are very happy have got some relief,” Priya told reporters outside her home in Mumbai.

It would still take several days to process the paperwork before Dutt can leave his cell in the western city of Pune, she said, adding, “But I think he must have got the news” of the bail.

Dutt, famed for his tough-guy roles, was sentenced in July for possessing illegal weapons bought from the plotters of the 1993 Mumbai bombings, which killed 257 people and wounded 800.

The superstar admitted to buying a Kalashnikov assault rifle but insisted he only did so to protect his family from sectarian violence.

The son of a politically prominent Hindu father and a Muslim mother who was an actress, Dutt’s turbulent off-screen life has also been wracked by drug abuse and two failed marriages.

Priya said the family’s immediate priority was to have him back home. “I think we have to make him as comfortable as possible ... just the basics — a good meal, a good bed to sleep in.”—AFP