Sanjay Dutt convicted for arms, acquitted in blasts

MUMBAI—Top Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt was convicted on Tuesday of illegally possessing weapons but cleared of conspiracy charges in connection with a series of bomb blasts in Mumbai that killed 257 people in 1993.
Dutt, who had pleaded not guilty, had been charged with conspiracy, illegal possession of arms and trying to destroy evidence connected with an attack which shook Mumbai. “During the reasoning, I have not found him to be a terrorist or a destructor,” judge Pramod Kode told a crowded anti-terrorism court. Such charges can carry a life sentence in jail.
The firearms offence could attract a sentence of up to three years, but he has already served more than a year in prison during investigations. Dutt’s trial has transfixed Bollywood — the world’s largest film industry by volume and ticket sales. Millions of dollars are riding on movies already under production which involve the star.—Agencies