Sanjay Dutt Breaks Silence On 1993 Case & His Jail Term: They Said I Had A Gun But Couldn't Prove For 25 Yrs

Sanjay Dutt has revisited the 1993 case that changed his life, saying he was punished under the Arms Act even though investigators never recovered any weapon. The actor spoke about his conviction, long trial and years in prison during a recent appearance on The Himanshu Mehta Show.

Dutt said the delay in the legal process still troubles him. He questioned why it took over two decades for the case to conclude, and why the verdict came despite the absence of a recovered gun. He maintained that this period remained one of his toughest personal challenges.

Sanjay Dutt 1993 case: conviction under Arms Act and no gun found

Speaking about that time, Dutt recalled the tense situation after the Babri Masjid demolition and said his family received threats. He stated: "My father was being threatened, my sisters were being threatened. They said I had a gun, but they couldn't prove it… I don't know why it took them 25 years to realise that, and then convict me in the Arms Act case without having a gun, without finding a gun."

Dutt also argued that investigators and courts should have concluded earlier that he was not part of the TADA or bomb blast case. According to Dutt, the separation of the Arms Act charges from terror-related allegations should not have taken so long to establish in court.

Sanjay Dutt 1993 case: prison life, learning law and daily routine

Despite the uncertainty, Dutt said he decided to treat the experience as a lesson. He shared: "I take it as a part of my life, and I take it as a learning… I faced my jail time with dignity," He added that he spent many hours reading religious texts, meditating and keeping a strict routine.

Dutt said he used the prison library to study legal material and understand court procedures. He explained: "I learned the laws of the land… I read a lot of books on law," This, Dutt suggested, helped during hearings and also gave some sense of control while the case moved slowly.

The actor said he often told the court that the case should not drag on. According to Dutt, delays affected many undertrials alongside him. He recalled telling judges: "All my request was… to please expedite the case and finish it, whatever it was. Because I have seen so many people just languishing there in jail,"

Dutt described how he tried to remain occupied behind bars. He said: "I earned wages there… Then I even started a radio station, called Radio YCP," Dutt mentioned that fellow prisoners helped create scripts for the internal broadcast, turning the project into a shared activity.

He further revealed that he set up a small theatre group inside the jail and cast other inmates. Dutt said: "I was the director and murder convicts were my actors," These creative efforts, Dutt suggested, kept morale up for many prisoners during long sentences.

Dutt completed his five-year sentence and left jail in 2016. The long legal journey and personal struggles were later dramatised in Rajkumar Hirani’s film Sanju, where Ranbir Kapoor played Dutt. The actor’s latest remarks again highlight how the 1993 case continues to shape public discussion around his life.