Play all audios:
MUMBAI: Actor Sanjay Dutt on Sunday appealed to all the citizens to keep themselves abreast with the law of the land, while making a case for imparting legal education right from the school.
“It is important to know the law, so we don't end up breaking it,” Dutt said at an event organised by the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa on Sunday. The discussion was the first
part of the Council's initiative – Trial Analysis, study and knowledge seminar – aimed to raise legal awareness among law students and junior lawyers by picking up cases for panel
discussions Dutt was convicted by the TADA court for illegal possession of a 9mm pistol and an AK-56 rifle, which were part of a consignment of weapons and explosives brought to India for
coordinated serial blasts that killed 257 people and injured over 700 in 1993. He walked out of prison in March 2016 after completion of his sentence. The Sunday event was attended by
special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam, Dutt's lawyer Satish Maneshinde and then investigating officer Suresh Walishetty. Besides the legal questions exchanged among the lawyers, the
actor was first asked if he was apprised about his rights at the time of his arrest. “As far as I remember, I was neither told about my rights nor about grounds of arrest or the charges,”
said Dutt, adding that back then, he had no idea about what was going on. “I heard them (officials) talking to book me under Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA). I
could hardly understand what it meant until they said bomb blast,” recalled the actor. While pondering upon his experience, he further said that every citizen should study the law of the
land to understand what's going around. Talking about his prison experience, Dutt quickly said, “There should be some good food and more interactions with the family. If the man is
connected to his family, there are higher chances of reformation.” He shared a story about how he prepared his inmates for a drama which was planned in the prison. “During that period of
teaching them (50 prisoners serving life term) acting and directing them, I learnt there were so many emotions in them. However, the programme got cancelled and the show never took place.
The prisoners were so disappointed, they had tears in their eyes,” Dutt recounted. He added that what prisoners need is encouragement and appreciation that would provide them motivation to
improve and reform. “All prisoners would not fall in the same category, but there should be some parameters. I am sure there is something that can be done there,” Dutt said.