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Sanjay Dutt expresses full faith in judiciary
24th Aug 2007 09.00 IST
By Agencies

Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt , released Thursday from Pune’s Yervada jail where he was serving a six-year prison term given to him in the 1993 blasts case, said he had "full faith" in the judiciary but was prepared for a "long battle".

In his first public comments since he was sentenced last month, a relieved but haggard looking Dutt thanked fans who had stood by him while he was in jail.

"All I can say is that I have full faith in the judiciary, full faith in my country and full faith in the people of my country," Dutt told reporters outside his residence in Bandra in Mumbai.

"I have a long battle to face, please pray for me," he said, reading from a prepared statement.

"I will abide by the law and the decision of the court," said the actor, who made it clear that he would not take any questions from the media.

Dutt, who looked drained after his 23-day stint in jail, was accompanied by his sister MP Priya Dutt and her husband Owen Roncon when he appeared at the gates of Imperial Heights building, where he stays in Bandra's posh Pali Hill neighbourhood.

Many fans who had gathered in the area began to shout slogans in his support on seeing him.

Both Dutt and Priya were visibly emotional, and she was seen wiping tears as they turned to go back into the building.

The actor returned home Thursday morning after his release from Pune's Yeravada Jail. He also thanked the media before going back inside, saying, "Thank you, I love you."

Dutt was released from Yeravada Jail, where he has been held since August 1, after the Supreme Court granted him interim bail on Monday.

The star was on July 31 sentenced to rigorous imprisonment for six years by the special TADA court hearing the 1993 Mumbai blasts case for illegal possession of arms.

But after more than three days of wait and watch, Dutt's moment of freedom was almost anti-climatic.

Dutt arrived much earlier than expected, taking fans, media and even the police by surprise.

When the 45-year-old actor arrived at his suburban Bandra residence at 8:30 am, the usual horde of fans was missing, as most of them had expected his arrival only by mid-morning.

Even the police were caught unawares.

"We had called in 25 extra police personnel from nearby Bandra police station, anticipating trouble from the crowd when he arrived. But there was no need because he arrived well before they did," one of the policemen stationed outside Dutt's residence said.

Fans missed the emotional welcome that the actor got from his family. As soon as he got out of the car, Dutt kissed nephew Siddharth (Priya Dutt's son), and hugged both his sisters, Priya and Namrata.

Brothers-in-law Owen Roncon and Kumar Gaurav were also witness to the emotional homecoming.

Dutt's sprawling residence had been jammed with supporters from the film fraternity ever since he got bail on Monday.

Outside the gates, fans too kept a constant vigil, hoping to catch a glimpse of their favourite "Munnabhai", but when the moment did arrive, there were hardly any fans to witness it.

Only one person, Azam Shaikh, who came all the way from Ujjain, was present when the actor arrived.

"I am from Ujjain and I have been camping here for the past three days. I am from the Sankatmochan temple there. Dutt had come there to pray in the past. I am hoping to meet him," Shaikh said.

Many of Dutt's friends from the film industry, including Vidhu Vinod Chopra , who produced the hit Munnabhai movies, were seen arriving at his residence. Yusuf Nulwala, who accompanied the star from Pune to his residence, however left after a while.

A steady stream of visitors is expected to keep up at the Dutt residence, and even though the family will be aware that this is merely temporary relief for Sanjay, they will be keen to spend every minute with him.

For sisters Priya and Namrata, the fact that their brother will be with them for the festival of Rakhsha Bandhan which celebrates the brother-sister relationship, would surely be a cause of joy.

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