The Hindu : Front Page : Media hype could be counterproductive, says Soli Sorabjee

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Monday, Aug 06, 2007
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Media hype could be counterproductive, says Soli Sorabjee

New Delhi: Eminent jurist Soli J. Sorabjee has justified six years jail sentence for Sanjay Dutt and cautioned that no signal of any “celebrity justice delivery system” should go to the people because of the actor’s status and the support he is getting from some Congress leaders.

Mr. Sorabjee said a sentence less than five years to Dutt would have been illegal as he was convicted for a “serious offence.”

“... because Sanjay is a popular star, a very important personality, his sister [Priya Dutt] is an MP and Priyaranjan Dasmunsi, Kapil Sibal speaking in his favour, no signal should go to the people that it is a celebrity justice delivery system,” he told Karan Thapar in “Devil’s Advocate” interview programme.

Mr. Sorabjee termed “inappropriate” senior Cabinet Minister (Dasmunsi) questioning the correctness of the judgment.

Justifies punishment

He justified the punishment awarded to the actor saying, “He didn’t have a toy gun, he didn’t have a airgun, this is a serious offence ... .”

Though there were good grounds for the Supreme Court to grant expeditious bail, he said “media hype could be counterproductive.”

“It’s not in favour of Sanjay or his friends are not doing him any good. People are getting put off by this. Why all this in case of one person, what about others who are rotting in jails?”

Responding to a question that public opinion was that the sentencing was excessive and unfair, the former Attorney-General said “if public opinion is misinformed I will ignore it.”

Minimum sentence

“Does the public know that minimum sentence is five years and it cannot be reduced? Judge Kode would have committed an illegality if he would have given him three years.”

Mr. Sorabjee outrightly dismissed the suggestion that the judge was “misdirected” or “miscarried” in sentencing Dutt to six years.

“By the way Sanjay Dutt is in one way fortunate. If he would have been convicted under TADA there would have been great problems,” the senior advocate pointed out

“In a way the judge was a bit lenient towards him, the way he kept on adjourning the matter, not pronouncing the verdict and various other things,” he said.

Combination

However, he said if he was a judge he would have given a combination of rigorous and simple imprisonment.

“If I had been a judge, I would have given simple imprisonment for half the period and rigorous for the other half,” Mr. Sorabjee said.

“You may tamper justice by mercy but not by sentiments; not by what Bollywood says,” he said. — PTI

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