A Look At The 54 Months Of 'Thug Life' That Sanjay Dutt Served As An Inmate At The Yerwada Jail

His 60 months of jail term is 144 days shorter now ¡ª a remission he owes to his good conduct ¡ª Sanjay Dutt, serving time in Yerwada prison for illegal arms possession in the 1993 blasts case, will be out by February 25.

Earlier Dutt would get out on paroles and furloughs on the slightest excuse

Even while in jail, though, he wasn't always there, having been out on parole for a total of four months, and on furlough for 42 days.

"Dutt would get out on paroles and furloughs on the slightest excuse. But since he got back from his last time-out, he is relaxed, as he knows he will get out soon. His release was slated for February 28, but since that's a Sunday, he will be released earlier," said a senior jail officer. But the time convict Dutt did do, however, is characterised by odd jobs and an odder assortment of extracurricular activities.

Neighbour with 185 inmates

The jail complex, which has been home to the actor since May 16, 2013, houses nearly 3,900 inmates. One of the prison's 185 high-security cells is occupied by Dutt. The 10x10 foot cell has a squat toilet inside, which he avoids using during daytime, but at night, he has to use it. That's when the air purifiers come handy. The adjacent cell is occupied by his friend of 40 years, Yusuf Nalwala, convicted in the same case.

Fitness and religion

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His day starts by 6, and after tea, he flexes his muscles ¡ª doing pushups off empty tin cans, and bulking up using canisters converted into weights. The staff said Dutt has turned religious. "He reads the Bhagvad Gita, and has pictures of deities such as Ganesh and Hanuman. He also has some small idols of them, though the jail manual doesn't allow it," said the senior officer. Other than religious, Dutt also cuts a courteous image. "Because he knows his existence here depends completely on us (jail staff)," a constable said. "When the staffers tell him to recite filmy dialogues, he obliges."

He also borrows heavily from the prison library. While hard manual labour is not part of his penalty, he has to make 60 paper bags from old newspapers and such. But he barely does a few before pushing off for lunch. Between noon and 3pm, he jockeys for the Yerwada Central Prison (YCP) radio station; he is committed enough to the show to even write the script for it. "He gives his 100 per cent for the programme. The station was set up by him and two others, and he's got a good remark for this," said his lawyer Hitesh Jain. By 6 in the evening, Dutt, like all his fellow prisoners, is locked in his cell till daybreak. "He understands he has to spend time in jail. But the nights are especially harder," Jain said.

Perks of being Sanjay Dutt

At the start of 2013, when Congress ruled the state, Dutt's family bargained for a better deal for him. Sister Priya Dutt was an MP at the time. An application seeking his pardon was made to the Governor, but the then additional chief secretary (home) kept the file under wraps. Only after the governor changed was the file forwarded to Raj Bhavan. Nonetheless, for a Bollywood star, there are entitlements. Prison sources said Dutt is plied with bottled water and hot tea, and though dinner's served by 5.30 pm, he eats later in his cell, ordering from the restaurants he favours, mostly in the name of other inmates. But he shares his food generously, a convict said. While a prisoner can expend no more than Rs 2,500 a month, there are workarounds.

"There's a welloiled system in Yerwada and each inmate (seeking a favour) has to tip the staff generously," a retired officer revealed. Among the constables, whom the prisoners call Baba, Dutt has his favourites: they get things done for him, like get him his choice of cigarettes. In fact, in 2013, Minister Vinod Tawde, an MLC at the time, had informed the state legislature that Dutt was regularly served alcohol. On Thursdays, the prisoners receive counselling, but Dutt does not need it. In fact, he is the one offering sage advice to the radio show callers. The jail authorities feel once Dutt leaves, the YCP radio will suffer. Nalwala, however, is more worried that his days in jail would seem longer once his friend leaves.

Sanjay's dates

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Dutt was sentenced to 60 months of imprisonment.

Every prisoner is granted seven days of remission a month, depending on their conduct, among other factors. As such, Dutt racked up 14 months of leave.

He had already spent 18 months in the Arthur Road jail as an undertrial, and thus had to spend 42 more in Yerwada.

With all his leave, the time he has served works out to a total of 28 months.