DON'T PARDON SANJAY DUTT

Deshbhakti Andolan, which is a secular, non-electoral patriotic movement, is opposing the clamour for granting pardon to actor Sanjay Dutt whose conviction under the Arms Act has been confirmed by the Supreme Court. All patriotic citizens should welcome the judgment of the Supreme Court and let Sanjay serve the remainder of his jail sentence.

Grant of pardon to him will not only shake people's faith in the system, but also be unfair to all others convicted for their role in the serial bomb blasts of March, 1993 in Mumbai and it will be an insult to the memory of all the innocents who died in the blasts.

Sanjay ought to have been convicted under TADA because he had illegal weapons in a TADA-designated area. Instead he was prosecuted under the relatively milder Arms Act. It is shocking that Bollywood personalities and politicians are opposing even this milder conviction. Sanjay deserves NO PARDON.