Daily News & Analysis
       
 
Mumbai, Dec 1: For the 20 minutes that actor Sanjay Dutt stood in the dock to record his statement in the TADA court on Thursday, he looked like a schoolboy being taken to task.

Nervous and fidgety, he started with, “My father passed away one and a half years ago...” Judge PD Kode interrupted him and asked him to speak into the mike tied to a post, but it was impossible for the six-foot plus actor, clad in a check shirt and jeans, as the mike barely reached his chest. So, he was asked to speak to the court clerk, who in turn repeated the words loudly to the judge.

“The entire burden of the family is now on my shoulder,” Dutt said, particularly mentioning his 18-year-old daughter studying in a New York college. “I am supporting her as her grandparents (with whom she lives after her mother Richa died) are old. Her future depends on me.”

Dutt stated that after his father’s death he had been working for the cancer foundation set up by the latter. The foundation, based in the US, Canada and Europe, raises funds for cancer patients who cannot afford treatment.

He added that he had raised funds for Tsunami relief and also made a contribution to the Prime Minister’s Relief Fund. Signing off with, “I love my country. I love the people of my country,” he requested the court to have mercy and give him the minimum sentence. As he walked back from the dock, Judge Kode called him back, saying that he had not been given permission to step down. Looking apologetic, Dutt sheepishly said, “I am slightly nervous.”

Prompted by his lawyers, the actor added that he had spent 16 months in jail, and ever since he had been out on bail, he complied with all the conditions. “I have no other case pending against me,” he said.