By IANS
Mumbai : The sentencing of Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, convicted under the Arms Act for the 1993 Mumbai blasts, was deferred Friday as he was given permission of absence on his father Sunil Dutt's second death anniversary.
Dutt had come to the special Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Preventive) Act (TADA) court here to seek permission for the same.
Dressed in his trade-mark blue jeans and striped sky-blue shirt, and sporting a red "tilak" on his forehead, the actor stood with his hands folded before the court and waited as his lawyer appealed for a relief from his sentencing.
Dutt, 48, is the most high profile of the 100 convicts in the terror attack.
He was absolved of terror charges and has now sought leniency under the Probation of Offenders Act (POA).
The star, who faces a maximum jail term of 10 years, has been on bail along with seven other fellow convicts. The court had asked him to be present Friday.
The POA allows the court to release a person guilty of a lesser offence if his/her conduct has been good and has reformed.
Dutt's lawyer Farhana Shah Friday asked the court to allow Dutt to leave early as he had to perform some religious rites on his father's death anniversary.
Allowing the application, judge Pramod Kode dismissed the actor with a wave of his hand. Dutt, murmuring a thank you, quietly left the courtroom.
The court, however, did not set any date for Dutt's sentencing.
"The judge has asked the Probation Officer to submit his report before the court as soon as possible. Dutt's sentencing will take place once the report is tabled in the court, which may take another week or so," Shah told IANS.