Sanjay Dutt spends nervous first day at Yerawada Jail

Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt reportedly spent a very nervous day Tuesday after his return to Yerawada Jail here and also refused breakfast. His lawyers said they would move a bail petition before the apex court next week and were hopeful of it being granted.

The celebrity prisoner was brought in a police van from Arthur Road Prison in Mumbai Monday night to the jail after he was given a copy of the judgement sentencing him in the 1993 Mumbai serial blasts. He surrendered to the special anti-terrorism court after receiving copy of the judgment convicting him under the Arms Act.

Outside the jail, it was bustling with activity with OB vans, camera crews and correspondents talking continuously on their mobile phones giving minute-to-minute updates of whatever they could glean on the actor.

But this time around, what's conspicuous is the absence of Dutt's fans outside the jail.

The police official are keeping tight-lipped on Dutt. However, according to some sources, Sanjay was very nervous throughout the day. He did not sleep at night and refused breakfast. In the post lunch session, his lawyer came to the jail, but refused to divulge any details.

Dutt's lawyer Farhana Shah informed IANS: "We will be moving the bail petition in the Supreme court next week. The grounds of the petition have not been worked out till now, we will be informing the media about it through a press release."

According to Majid Menon, a senior lawyer in Mumbai: "Sanjay should have no problem obtaining a bail in the Supreme Court because of three reasons, namely his not been convicted under the Terrorists and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA) act, secondly his being on bail for more that 10 years and thirdly his good conduct when on bail."

When asked about time required to go through the 4,500-page judgment document, Menon said that Sanjay Dutt was capable of hiring as many as 20 lawyers to hasten the process.

The police convoy bringing Dutt had raced along with their celebrity prisoner at almost 130 kmph on the Mumbai-Pune expressway, dodging media vans to reach Yerawada around midnight in a record two-and-a-half hours.

In the morning, Dutt underwent a thorough medical check-up Tuesday as he began his second stint in the prison.

Dutt is soon expected to start carpentry work in jail. During his last stay, authorities said the actor had shown interest in the skill.

The actor has been absolved of terrorism charges but convicted under the Arms Act. The serial blasts left 257 people dead and many injured.