PUNE/MUMBAI: After 23 days in prison, Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt, sentenced to six years of imprisonment in the 1993 Mumbai blasts case, on Thursday walked free from a Pune jail on an interim bail.

Dutt's freedom may be short-lived as the actor will have to return to the jail once the November 28, 2006 judgement of the TADA court convicting him under the Arms Act is made available to him.

The actor, accompanied by his lawyer Satish Maneshinde and fellow convict Yusuf Nulwala, arrived at Mumbai by a chartered flight and reached his house at 8.25 am to an emotional welcome by his MP sister Priya Dutt, other close relatives and friends.

His sister Namrata, brothers-in-law Kumar Gaurav and Owen Roncon, film producer Bunti Wallia, close friend and MLA Baba Siddiqui and others were present to greet him at the entrance of the building.

With his hair cut short and beard grown, Dutt, clad in a blue jeans and white shirt, was hugged by all of them upon getting out of the car.

Seeing mediapersons perched on the fence of an adjoining building and calling him, Sanjay smiled at them and said "not now, later," before entering the building.

The Supreme Court granted an interim bail to the actor four days ago. A TADA court in Mumbai, which convicted him, yesterday issued the order for Dutt's release from Yerawada jail in Pune after his lawyers completed legal formalities.

Maneshinde told reporters that right now, Dutt wants to spend time with his family and other issues, like whether he will be starting work on his films, would be decided later.

"The most important thing is to spend time with his family which he is doing," he said.

Mumbai, Aug 07: Actor Sanjay Dutt has moved Supreme Court against his conviction by the Tada court and applied for bail. Dutt`s lawyer Satish Maneshinde filed the bail plea on Tuesday after meeting the actor in Pune and securing his signature on a set of papers which is now in Delhi.

The court will also be moved against the six-year sentence awarded to the actor on 31st July, in the Mumbai serial blasts case.

His lawyers have applied for bail on the ground that Sanjay Dutt had himself confessed that he was a part of a party hosted by Dawood Ibrahim in Dubai. And also he was a close acquaintance of Anees Ibrahim.

The CBI has stated that Dutt was not immature and was aware of what he was doing and said that it was opposing his bail plea.

Media reports state that not only has Dutt apllied for bail but he was also in fact challenging the verdict of the TADA court. His sister Congress politician Priya Dutt has been lobbying hard with the huge battery of lawyers that she has to help Dutt.

The argument put forward in favour of his bail application was also that he had never misused his bail.

However a final decision is yet to be taken on this.

Dutt was sentenced to six years` rigorous imprisonment for being in possession of `dangerous weapons` in the 1993 Mumbai bombings case last week.

He was also fined Rs 25,000 by the special anti-terror TADA court, conducting the trial into the serial blasts that killed 257 people and injured many hundreds.


Sanjay Dutt may be a carpenter in jail

It may be a far cry from the glitz and glamour of Bollywood for actor Sanjay Dutt if he opts for carpentry as part of the rigorous imprisonment handed out to him for his conviction in 1993 Mumbai serial blasts case.

A senior jail official said carpentry is one of the options available to Dutt but no decision has so far been taken. The decision would be determined by the aptitude of the actor, he added.

However, sources said Dutt may be asked to make cane furnitures. Dutt, one of the highest-paid stars of Bollywood, may get Rs 40 per day for seven-hour hard work in the jail.