What happened in the courtroom after Sanjay Dutt was sentenced in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, has been revealed by Ujjwal Nikam in a recent interview, which is viral.
Ujjwal Nikam, who was the special public prosecutor in Sanjay Dutt’s case related to the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case, has made a big revelation after years. He told that when the court convicted Sanjay Dutt under the Arms Act, the actor was very emotional and nervous in the courtroom. Nikam also claimed that he had advised Sanjay Dutt to control himself and stand straight as the media’s eyes were fixed on the court. He also told why he had demanded maximum punishment of seven years for Sanju.
What were the charges against Sanjay Dutt in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case?
After the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts, Sanjay Dutt was arrested for illegally possessing AK-56 rifle and other banned weapons. He was also accused of terrorism and criminal conspiracy, but the court acquitted him of these charges due to lack of evidence. However, he was convicted under the Arms Act.
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Why did Ujjwal Nikam ask for 7 years punishment for Sanjay Dutt?
In an interview given to Lallantop, Ujjwal Nikam said that he had demanded from the court to give maximum punishment of seven years to Sanjay Dutt under the Arms Act. According to him, the defense wanted relief citing the first mistake, but their argument was that Sanjay Dutt had accepted weapons from a person associated with Dawood Ibrahim’s network, hence he should not get the benefit of probation. According to Ujjwal Nikam,
My argument was that Sanjay Dutt should not get the benefit of the Probation of Offenders Act. He was convicted under the Arms Act. We had no objection to his acquittal on the conspiracy charge, but I had asked the court to sentence him to seven years under the Arms Act.
How was Sanjay Dutt’s condition in the courtroom?
Ujjwal Nikam told that immediately after the verdict was announced, Sanjay Dutt was trembling badly. He told the actor, “Sanju, the media is watching, please stand straight.” According to Nikam, after this he asked the police to take Sanjay Dutt away. He believed that if he had not handled the actor at that time, the media would have made him the villain of this case.
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What did Ujjwal Nikam say on people’s sympathy?
Nikam said that whenever Sanjay Dutt became emotional in the court during the hearing, people’s sympathy naturally went towards him. At the same time, due to being a prosecutor, he had to face constant criticism. After a long trial court hearing, the Supreme Court upheld Sanjay Dutt’s sentence in 2013 and sentenced him to five years in jail. After adjusting the sentence already served, he completed his sentence in 2016 and then returned to films.