Sanjay Dutt Denies Charges

A designated TADA court today recorded the statement of film actor Sanjay Dutt, an accused in bomb blast case, who denied the charges levelled against him.

Dutt appeared before designated TADA judge P D Kode to give his point of view on the evidence tendered by the prosecution. Nearly 100 other accused were also present.

Prosecution has alleged that film producers Samir Hingora and late Hanif Kadawala had shown co-accused Baba Chavan and other accused Dutt's residence where they had gone with arms and ammunition in a car.

According to CBI, Dutt allegedly accepted AK-56 (a terrorist weapon in a notified area) from the accused who then took the other weapons to the house of co-accused Zebunisa Kazi.

When Samir Hingora and Hanif Kadawala were arrested after the blasts, they spilled the beans. Dutt was in Mauritius for a film shooting from where he instructed his friends over telephone to go to his house and destroy the rifle.

Accordingly, they went to his residence and destroyed the rifle in a foundry. CBI has produced before the court a spring and a rod saying these were the remains of the rifle.

Dutt had earlier denied the charges when his bail plea was argued in 1996.

Deposing before designated judge P D Kode, Dutt said the confession of police constable Pandharinath Shinde in this regard was incorrect.

It is false to say that these two accused had come to my house. They have never come to my bungalow, the actor said in his statement recorded by the court at the end of the trial.

To a question, Dutt said two constables were posted at his residence to provide security cover to his father Sunil Dutt because as a politician he had received threats. But he could not remember their names. .

Dutt denied that he had voluntarily confessed before police about accepting AK-56 rifle, 9 mm pistol and bullets from the accused. He also refuted allegations that he had taken a policemen to the residence of his friend Yusuf Nullwalla who reportedly destroyed the rifle in a foundry.

I have never been to his house, Dutt said.

(PTI)