Sanjay Dutt jailed for 6 years

By Krittivas Mukherjee

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt was jailed for six years on Tuesday for getting guns from gangsters involved in India's worst bombings, ending an epic trial that transfixed the country with tales of terror and revenge.

Dutt, an immensely popular star known for his macho anti-hero roles and troubled private life, was found guilty of acquiring illegal weapons from those blamed for the bombings in Mumbai that killed 257 people in 1993.

He has already served 16 months in jail while awaiting trial and his lawyer said he would appeal. He has millions of dollars riding on him in films under production, and millions more fans in Bollywood, the world's largest film industry by ticket sales.

The muscular 48-year-old was cleared of conspiracy charges in the serial blasts in Mumbai, but was found guilty of illegal possession of an automatic rifle and a pistol.

"The crime was not brutal, cruel, ghastly, inhuman, not anti-social, not immoral and did not result in any harm to anyone," judge Pramod Kode said, but added it was still a serious offence and he had encouraged others to break the law.

"It was an eminently dangerous act. With the punishment of a minimum of five years and maximum of 10 years it can in no way be a minor offence or of a less grave nature."

Dutt was also fined 25,000 rupees.

The actor is the most high-profile among 100 people, mostly Muslims, found guilty in the bombings trial, one of the world's longest court cases.