New Delhi: As filmstar Sanjay Dutt heads for the court on Tuesday to face the verdict on his complicity in the 1993 bomb blasts case, the nation waits with much anticipation and apprehension about the things in store.
So, what if Sanjay Dutt is convicted?
For one, most of the charges that Sanjay is facing are under the now obsolete Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (prevention) Act.
Dutt has been charged for keeping three AK-56 rifles, its ammunition, a 9 mm pistol, its cartridges and hand grenades - all of which were part of the consignment smuggled in by Tiger Memon to set off a series of blasts in Mumbai on March 12, 1993. He is being tried under Section 120-b IPC (conspiracy), Section 3 (3) of the TADA Act.
Dutt stands accused also for trying to dispose of the weapons nearly three months after the blasts.
He is also charged under Section 5 of TADA Act for possessing weapons, under Section 6 of the same Act for contravening provisions of other Acts and also under Section 3 and 7 read with Section 25 of the Arms Act.
The prosecution case says Abu Salem, Baba Chouhan, Mansoor Ahmed, Samir Hingora and late Hanif Kadawala had gone to Sanjay's house and delivered the weapons, including the three AK-56 rifles, ammunition and hand grenades.
Sanjay kept one AK-56 rifle and a pistol with himself and returned the rest of the arms, which were taken away by Mansoor Ahmed from his residence to the house of co-accused Zebunisa Kazi.
Dutt has denied all these charges.
So, after an 11-year-old trial, when the special court pronounces its verdict in the case, Judge Pramod Kode is only likely to convict or acquit him. He is unlikely to pronounce the sentence on Tuesday.
However, Dutt may be taken into custody immediately in case of conviction.
If convicted, Sanjay Dutt faces the prospect of being sent to jail for five years to a life term. Dutt, now 47, has already spent 18 months in jail following his arrest in 1993.
However in case of conviction, the Special Court order will not be the final word on him. The verdict is bound to go for appeal in the high court and even the Supreme Court, if required.
So, Sanjay will have his options open on that front. This could, however, mean a still longer legal battle, considering the fact that the fight so far seems to have already taken a toll on this man.
More than anything else, this could mean a big blow to Dutt's filmi career, which has seen an unprecedented climb in the aftermath of his Munnabhai series.
A number of his films are at different stages of completion and many more projects are in the queue. An adverse verdict could not only mean a death blow to all these projects, but also may see his star value go plunging.
On the other hand, an acquittal may see Sanjay's popularity go soaring and expect many of his films to hit the theatres one after another over the next few weeks.Ironically, almost half of Sanjay Dutt's 105 movies came after his release from the prison in 1995.
Dutt is one of the 123 defendants in the 1993 blasts case. In a series of trial, Judge Kode has so far pronounced 86 people guilty and acquitted 23 others. The sentences have not been pronounced on any of the convicts so far.
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